Revival
by JanPotter123
Summary: AU HarryXOC. Kicks off from Harry's sixth year. January or as Harry calls her, Jan, is just a friend who Harry sees occasionally in the summers when she visits her aunt. What happens when she finds out that Harry is a wizard? R&R please!
1. Preface

Preface

I opened my eyes slowly. My vision was blurred without my glasses but I could still make out the still form of Hermione on the ground maybe ten feet away.

"No!" I thought. "She's saved me! She can't be dead!" my shock and pain stabbed me like a million little needles.

I forced myself to look away. I slowly got up from my position on the floor. The entire room was destroyed. I sadly realised that the tapestries and paintings, which had amazed me when I first saw them, were now either burning or crumbling to piles of ashes.

A groan from the other side of the room brought me back to reality. It came from under the table, where the person must have ducked undoubtedly to shield himself from the force of the aurors' spells.

I slowly got up, wincing slightly as I noticed that my legs were covered with burns and scratches, and started walking towards the table. I picked up the sledgehammer from a shelf, where it had probably sat undisturbed for at least a hundred years before I came along.

"Bad day to wear shorts." I mumbled to myself as I slowly approached the table and crouched down so I could see under it. I could only see blurry outlines of the figure without my glasses to aid me.

"No…" I whispered in horror, as I realised who was crouching under the table.

_No! No! No!_ _Please, No!_

The pain returned with the force of a bullet train. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't understand what I could do…

"It's over", I thought.

That's when I fainted.

**

* * *

AN: so this is it. FYI this chapter is from Jan's POV but i dont think that any others will be. they will most likely be in third person. Hope you liked it! Please leave a review and tell me any ideas you may have for this story!!**


	2. Summer: The Beginning

Summer: The Beginning

Harry Potter stood in his room surveying his surroundings.

He supposed that the best that could be said about it was that it was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the cupboard he had slept in for the first ten years of his life.

The cupboard had been dirty, smelly and claustrophobic. The room was all three of these things, but it was spread over a greater space.

And furthermore, he reasoned with himself, he could actually stand upright without his head bumping the ceiling; an impossible feat in the small cupboard under the stairs.

His room was small in comparison to the other bedrooms in the five bedroom house. The Dursleys' had made sure of that. It contained a small bed, a desk with a study lamp and a cupboard.

The bed and cupboard had been pushed up against a wall, and the desk with Hedwig's empty cage on top of it, had been pushed into the corner, leaving a wide empty space roughly the size of a small picnic table in the middle of the room.

There! Harry thought as he pushed his school trunk which contained pretty much everything he owned, to its usual spot; underneath Harry's bed.

Now he wouldn't fall all over the place and bruise his shins when he was trying to get to the bedroom door, so he could go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, without his glasses on.

Mission accomplished!

'_You are sad, Harry Potter_,' a voice told Harry. '_You are extremely sad. Sad, and pathetic. You're actually occupying yourself by rearranging your furniture. Next you'll be arranging petunias in a vase wearing a fluffy blue apron and discussing the Prime Minister's secret mistress!'_

"Yeah, well. " Harry grumbled. "There's not much to do around here besides talking to the voices in my head, you know. I'd rather do the furniture." He plonked himself down onto his bed.

And it was true. Ever since Harry had left Ron and Hermione at the platform, he had not heard a peep out of them. Sure, they had written letters. But it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were being told what they could write in their letters; what they could tell Harry about the ongoing situation in the wizarding world.

Harry knew that it was very likely; actually, it was certain, that all means of communications were being monitored by either the Ministry of Magic or Voldemort and his followers. So he couldn't blame Ron and Hermione for being discreet whenever they wrote to him.

He could however, blame Dumbledore. Not only for keeping him in the dark now, but also in the past. For keeping him in the dark about what Voldemort was doing, about the prophecy. For not telling Harry why occlumency lessons were so important. For not reaching the Ministry in time to save Sirius. And for locking him away in Privet Drive for another unbearable summer with his Aunt, Uncle and stupid oaf of a cousin.

The sound of a passing car brought back Harry to the present.

"_He did what he thought was best for you"_ the voice told Harry. _Yes, he made mistakes. He's only human. Grumbling over it won't help; moving past it will._

The voice was similar to Sirius'.

"Bloody Hell," Harry grumbled to himself, as he got off the bed and stretched his legs.

"This conversation is way too batty to be happening before breakfast..."

Maybe a walk would help clear his head.

Yes, a walk was exactly what he needed.

Harry quietly crept down the hallway towards the front door. The Dursleys' were still sleeping.

"_Of course they're sleeping" _Harry thought with annoyance, _" Not everyone has a personal alarm clock in the form of a mad owl who screeches herself hoarse at four in the morning so that someone wakes up and lets her out of her cage to hunt."_

Hedwig's hunting rituals had been a constant source of amusement for Harry because they ultimately resulted in Dudley running down the stairs in his nightclothes, with his hair standing up in all directions, screaming bloody murder, whenever Hedwig showed up with a rat in her mouth. Not very flattering for a boy who, as Uncle Vernon repeatedly boasted, was England's' best heavyweight boxing champion. "Boy's got nerves of steel!" Vernon had shouted out one time at a school meeting. Quite.

But then, that was when Hedwig got up at a godly hour, like at around nine or ten at night. Lately she had taken to sleeping more than usual and getting up at irregular intervals, usually in the early hours of the morning.

Harry supposed it was something to do with an owl 'reaching sexual maturity'. A phenomenon on which Ron had expounded various lectures to the point of almost sounding like Hermione on Spew, his brothers having had many owls over the years.

"You know they want to start humping like mad rabbits when they start screeching the living daylights out of everyone just because they ruffled a feather!" Ron had said with a mouthful of eggs and bacon, right after Pigwidgeon clipped him on his nose for spilling a bit of his pumpkin juice on him.  
Harry smiled as he reached the front door and slowly twisted the knob. He pulled the door open and slipped out into the cool morning air. It was still silent outside, and the sky was still dark, but looking closely, Harry could see the first morning rays of the sun peeking out from behind the clouds on the horizon. His watch said it was only five in the morning, yet he saw many people were already out on the streets. To be precise, he saw one large crowd of people standing three houses down from No. 4. They were all talking, quietly, so as not to wake their neighbours. There must have been eight, maybe nine people in the crowd, not including the little children who were running around their parents with water pistols.

The quite murmur of voices grew louder as Harry came nearer.

"How much longer do we have to wait, Mummy?" a small girl whined to her mother's legs. She had light russet coloured skin with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She must have been about four or five.

In fact, Harry noticed all the people in the crowd had similar features. The same skin, the same hair and eyes.

"They must be a family. They must be related to the Singh's." Harry realised. The Singh's were a small family of four who lived at No. 7, Privet Drive. They had been living there for many years and for the most part were completely inconspicuous, except when they occasionally held parties or wedding receptions for family members. On these occasions, the whole Singh family would descend upon the small six bedroom house with a spacious garden attached, to celebrate the happy occasion.

They were perhaps, the only family in the whole Privet Drive who didn't give a damn about what their stodgy and hopelessly old fashioned neighbours thought of them and didn't hesitate to turn up the music and party late into the night.

Harry didn't have much to do with them except occasionally mowing their garden for some extra spending money in the summers. The Singh's two girls, aged 4 and 9, were still too young to do the household chores. Not that their parents would let them anyway. Harry knew that they were ferociously protective of their daughters, and Mrs Singh, in particular was very keen on pampering them to death. In spite of their parents' indulgent attitudes towards them, the girls still turned out to be pretty level headed, and had even helped Harry out with the garden now and then, much to Mrs. Singh's dismay.

He had not spoken to the Singh's for quite some time. Harry realised that the last time he had spoken to any member of their family had been before he found out about Hogwarts; about magic.

Harry forced himself back to reality and looked again at the crowd. They were all huddling together, trying to become warm.

"She's almost here, beta." The little girls' mother replied, reaching down and patting her on her head. "Only five more minutes."

She looked up and saw Harry. Harry's cheeks reddened as the woman gazed at him with her dark eyes.

"Good morning!" the woman started pleasantly. "Did we wake you up? I didn't think we were that loud?"

"Oh, no" Harry replied hastily. "I was just taking a morning walk. I was up anyways."

"I see, "the woman smiled at him. The little girl hid her face into her mother's legs as Harry looked down towards her.

Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Err…" he started.

"Yes?" the woman asked him.

"What are you doing out here?" he said slowly, not wanting to be rude.

"Oh! We're waiting for my niece, January!" the woman said with a smile. "I'm Mrs. Singh's younger sister. Our youngest sister has sent her daughter to spend the summer over here."

"Oh, really?" Harry replied. "Why are there, uh, so many of you?"

Harry winced as the last part came out. So much for being polite.

But the woman simply laughed and lifted up her daughter into her arms.

"We haven't seen January, or anyone else from her side of the family for over five years!" She said as she smoothed her daughter's hair over her head. "It's a big occasion. She's been here a few times though. She must have been about six the last time she came. Do you remember seeing her maybe?"

Harry tried to remember seeing anyone but the Singh's two little girls running around Privet Drive. He came up with nothing.

"She loved having water fights" the woman prompted.

Ah! Now he remembered.

"She's the girl who hosed me from behind while I was weeding my Aunts garden!" he started indignantly. "I looked like I had pissed in my pants because of her!"

He could remember it clearly. He had been quietly tending to Aunt Petunias prize winning roses when someone drenched him from behind. When he turned to look he saw a small girl, a head shorter than him cackling away in glee. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Dudley had seen the whole episode, and proceeded to tell the entire grade at school how Harry had had the piss taken out of him by a girl half his size. He must have been about seven years old then.

The woman looked at him for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. Her daughter appeared to be trying to suppress giggles by stuffing her mouth with her knuckles.

"I'm sorry" she said breathlessly "I really am. It's just the _look _on your face! And that sounds so much like January!" she said wiping away tears of laughter from her eyes.

"She's grown up now though," she said solemnly. The little girl nodded her head in agreement. "She's graduated from school two years early, you know." She smiled proudly at the thought of her niece.

"Imagine! Free from school at fifteen! If only we were as lucky!" she sighed wistfully.

Harry was still grumbling over his humiliation when a taxi pulled up in front of No. 7, Privet Drive.

"Everyone!" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's here!"

One of the boys with the water pistol shot a jet of water towards Harry. Because of the boys height, or rather lack of it, the water jet hit Harry in his pelvis.

_What is it with this family and water? _Harry thought as he shook some of the water of himself.


	3. Summer: First Meeting

**AN: I hope you all like the last chapter!!! So just to tell you guys I don't think I'm going to make this story unbearably long like 60 or 70 chapters… at the most 30. Or to be really pushing it 35, but that's worst case scenario. **

**Thanks to the ppl who have read this story and are following it…I hope you all like this chapter! Please review! It only takes a second and it makes my day!!**

Summer: First Meeting

The people huddled around the taxi. All thoughts of keeping quiet vanished as nearly everyone started shouting at once. The children seeing their parents so excited started jumping up and down screaming. Harry stood to the side feeling uncomfortable (and wet) as the woman, with her daughter in her arms and a rushed "Excuse me!" brushed him aside and rushed to the taxi.

"January!" an old woman with a scarf covering her head shouted weakly as the door of the taxi opened, and the top of a head peeped out of the car.

Harry stood to the side, being jostled occasionally by the small children with the water pistols. Somehow, he couldn't get himself to step away and continue with his morning walk. He stood there watching as the person in the taxi stepped out of the car and was immediately surrounded by all her family members in a group hug.

"Jani didi!" someone screeched. Harry looked and saw it was the woman's daughter whose arms were outstretched trying to reach the guest of honour.

_Why don't you go closer?_ The voice said to him. _"See what she's like. See what she has become after all these years…"_

Harry ignored it.

"_Come on, I can see you're curious about her!"_

"The only thing I'm curious about is how the hell you keep coming back and presuming to know what I feel!" Harry thought, annoyed.

"_I'm in your head, dimwit. I can't exactly buy a season ticket to Paraguay and go on a six week holiday, you know. And as for I how I know what you feel; again, I'm in your head, dimwit._

_Now go talk to her!"_

"Why should I?" Harry thought. "I don't even know her! I haven't seen her for almost ten years! She's probably just here for a few days anyway…"

"_Because it's either this, or cleaning up Hedwig's poop when she comes back from hunting! And you know that her poop is sticky when she's angry at you!"_

Well, that settled it then.

Harry started to make his way towards the crowd. He didn't really want to intrude on a family reunion. Maybe he could stand on the side and greet her as she walked into No. 7.

But before he even reached the gate, the family had already rushed into the house with January in their clutches, leaving a very disgruntled taxi driver behind.

Harry now stood in an empty street, save for the taxi driver who was cursing under his breath about mad joint families, as he started his car and made his way out of Privet Drive.

"_Well, looks like it's the poop for you now, my friend..."_

Shut it.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry finished his walk without any further incident. By the time he reached Privet Drive, it was seven in the morning and the residents of Privet Drive were slowly waking up. He could see Mr Smith putting on the sprinklers in his garden at No. 3 and Mrs. Hawn pruning her rose bushes at No.5.

And at No. 4…

Harry stopped in surprise.

The blue Ford Anglia which Harry and Ron had driven to Hogwarts in their second year stood in all its glory; parked neatly in front of the Dursley's home.

How did he know it was the same car as the one the Weasley's owned?

Because on the side of the car, seven quaffles were painted neatly in a pattern across the drivers door, to form a giant 'W'.

"What in hell…?" Harry thought as he practically ran into the house. He went straight for the kitchen where he could hear a steady murmur of voices.

His mouth dropped open in astonishment as he took in the scene in the kitchen.

There, in the small kitchen fitted with the latest appliances, stood the entire Weasley family minus Percy and Charlie, and Dumbledore. The Dursley's sat at the kitchen table, looking small and insignificant next to the wizards. He could tell that they were nervous from the shifty glances they kept sending the Weasleys', particularly the twins.

The Weasleys were all scrunched up against each other as they tried to fit into the small kitchen. They were all wearing muggle clothes, Harry noticed. He waved at Ron and Ginny, who he could see at the far end of the small room; they looked rather uncomfortable.

"Wotcher, Harry!" The twins shouted out in unison. Mr and Mrs Weasley as well as Bill smiled at him.

"Ah, Harry! You're here!" Dumbledore said pleasantly, as if showing up at his Aunt and Uncle's home was an everyday occurrence. "We were just making pleasant chit chat with your aunt and uncle, while waiting for you!"

Both Vernon and Petunia looked rather nauseous. Dudley looked like he was ready to pass out. Apparently they hadn't found the conversation as pleasant as Dumbledore had.

"Uh, yeah" Harry said slowly. "I just went for a walk…"

"Ah, Yes of course!" Dumbledore replied smiling "it's a very pleasant morning today isn't it? Not quite common for Surrey, I understand?" he looked towards the Dursley's for confirmation. Vernon nodded his head quickly and Petunia and Dudley followed his lead.

Dumbledore turned to look at Harry again.

"You must be wondering why we are here, of course?" he asked politely.

Harry nodded silently. He had just remembered that the last time he and Dumbledore had been in the same room, Harry had broken quite a few of his possessions. The memory embarrassed him. Then he remembered the prophecy. He looked at the Weasley's with a little suspicion in his eyes. How much did they know? Did Dumbledore tell them about the prophecy?

"Well, regretfully I cannot tell you everything now." Dumbledore started.

Harry was angry. Didn't Dumbledore realise that keeping things from him led to horrible things?

"Not because I don't trust you Harry," Dumbledore said, probably seeing Harry's anger in his eyes. "But I think it would be unwise for your relatives to hear much about the situation. I fear,"

Here Dumbledore cleared his throat. ", that your location has been compromised."

"What?" Harry said blankly. "Aren't there wards protecting the house? I thought it had something to do with my blood…?"

"Yes, indeed there are, Harry. " Dumbledore said gravely. "But if you recall, when Tom was resurrected in your fourth year, he took some of your blood." He paused.

Realisation dawned on Harry. If his blood ran in Voldemort's body, then the blood wards protecting him would surely be compromised. But something still confused Harry.

"Why hasn't he attacked before?" Harry asked. "It's been well over a year since he came back. Why hasn't he attacked before?" he repeated.

Dumbledore nodded. "You see, Harry, "he started. "Sharing blood alone isn't enough to surpass the magic protecting this house. You need to have the right to call this place home."

Harry still didn't understand. "Voldemort can't call this place home!" he said.

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "He can't. But having shown that he can possess your mind through the link that you share, I fear it could be possible for him to force you into rejecting this house as your home."

"I don't understand..." Harry started. "What would that do?"

"If you cannot call this house your home, Harry "Bill said quietly. "The blood magic surrounding this house collapses. And You-know-who can walk in anytime and massacre you and your family."

Petunia gave a squeak of fear and clutched the table for dear life. Vernon and Dudley simply went purple around their necks.

"I've inspected the wards around the house, Harry. " Bill continued in the same tone. "They're stable right now, because you are here, and you acknowledge this house as your permanent home. But when you go away to school," he paused.

Harry got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"The wards have been growing weaker and weaker for the past few years Harry, "Bill said.

"I think it has something to do with the fact that you think Hogwarts is more of a home to you, than this place ever was."

He saw Mrs. Weasley and Ginny glare at the Dursley's, who cowered under their murderous gaze.

"This year when you go away to school, the wards will be at an all time low." Bill concluded. "Making it very easy for Voldemort to break them and hold your family hostage."

The Dursley's were all pale now. Petunia seemed to resisting the urge to burst into tears.

"What do we do, then?" Harry whispered.

"We're going to move you and your family to separate locations." Mr Weasley spoke now with authority.

"Your family will live under the protection of the Order until we've re-established some new wards around the house. And you will live with us till you have to go back to school in September." He finished.

Vernon finally found his voice.  
"What do you mean_, you're going to move us_?!" he shouted outraged. "You come in here, into _my_ _house _and tell me that you're just going to make us _leave our house, _just because of this _boy?_"

"Would you rather you and your family die a slow and painful death at the hands of a sadistic sorcerer?" Bill said evenly.

Vernon fell silent.

"I didn't think so." Bill smiled smugly.

"With that, Harry," Dumbledore started loudly, drowning out Vernon's angry mutterings.

"Let me say that we will move you and your family in two days time to a new and safe location."

He stood up. "The Weasleys are currently on their way there right now." He smiled, his eyes were twinkling. "Mr Weasley and Mr. Weasley kindly offered me a lift here on their way."

Fred and George whooped wildly and Mr and Mrs Weasley rolled their eyes with exasperation.

"This is the last time any of you will ever drive." Mrs Weasley muttered under her breath, but she was still loud enough for Harry to hear her. "Worse than Stan of the Knight Bus, those two are…"

"We'll see you there, mate." Ron said grinning. Ginny smiled at him. "Sorry I've been so weird in my letters, haven't been able to write freely. Owl networks being watched." He said, confirming Harry's suspicions.

"I'll tell you about everything once you join us in a few days, then!" he finished with a laugh.

"Right!" Harry grinned back at him and punched on the shoulder. "How's Hermione?"

"She's gone to China with her parents on holiday." Ginny piped up. "That's why she hasn't written much; owls from China are expensive."

Before Harry could reply, Mrs. Weasley herded her family out of the kitchen and into the hallway. They left soon after, but not before Mrs Weasley grabbed Harry in the infamous Weasley hug and gave him box full of homemade treacle tart.

"Well," thought Harry as he waved goodbye to the Weasleys, who were all miraculously seated in the Ford Anglia along with Dumbledore. "It's been an interesting morning. And I haven't even had breakfast yet."

_Speaking of breakfast, lets get out that Treacle tart!_

What part of 'Shut it' do you not understand?


	4. Summer: Second Time's the Charm

**AN: drop me a line on how you liked the last chapter! Dying to know how Harry and January meet?? The suspense will end in the next two chapters!**

**Btw there are going to be some fight sequences in the next chapter… or the one after that. Tell me if I do a good job since I haven't ever written anything like that ever before!**

**Thanks!**

Summer: Second time's the charm

As expected, the Dursley's hadn't reacted very well to the news of their departure. Vernon had expressed his anger by banging his cutlery on the table and shouting at Harry. Petunia had glared at him and sniffed her beaky nose in his direction. Dudley just sat in seat, his emotions alternating between humour at the way his father was yelling at his cousin, and terror at the thought of the 'evil sorcerer'.

The worst of Vernon's anger had just subsided when No.4 Privet Drive had had yet another visitor. This time it was Mrs. Arabella Figg, carrying a hand written note addressed to the Dursleys' and Harry.

"Oh, hello Harry!" Mrs Figg had said pleasantly. "I have a letter for you and your family from the Order here." She waved a sealed envelope in front of Harry.

Harry had immediately let her in and relieved her of the letter.

Mrs. Figg walked into the room, and after nodding curtly at the Dursley's with narrowed eyes, had seated herself on an armchair by the fireplace.

It had been very funny to see the Dursley's eyes bug out of their heads in shock when they realised that one of their closest neighbours actually belonged to the wizarding world.

Harry simply chuckled at their expressions of utter shock and opened the note, while Mrs. Figg asked Petunia for a cup of tea.

Harry tore up the seal and shook out the letter folded neatly inside.

"_Dear Harry Potter and relatives," _Harry read aloud to his relatives, as the Dursleys' would rather die than touch anything magical,

"_By now Professor Dumbledore would have informed you of the dangers surrounding your home, and the consequent need for you to evacuate the premises. We have made arrangements for you and your family to be transported to safety on the 30__th__ of July, which is two days from today. For your safety, you will be hidden in separate locations.'_

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he read this. The thought of spending any length of time with the Dursley's among wizards was quite unpleasant.

'_This arrangement is purely temporary as the Order needs to destroy the wards currently protecting No.4, Privet Drive to set up new, more reliable ones._

_The entire process will be handled by the Orders' curse breakers, and will take a year to eighteen months to set up. The expenses will of course, be borne by the Order of the Phoenix."_

"Bloody right, they'll be bearing the expenses!" Uncle Vernon muttered angrily. "First they dump the boy on our doorstep and plant freaks to spy on us in our own backyard, there's no way in hell I'm going to pay for the boy's protection!"

Harry briefly paused in his recital to look towards Mrs Figg, who was now drinking a cup of Earl Grey. She shot a glare to Vernon and then returned to her tea.

Harry shrugged and returned to the letter.

"_In the following two days, I would advise you to pack whatever clothes you own and other necessary items. Any muggle appliances such as fellytones or mike-waves will not work in the wizarding world and therefore it is pointless to carry them along." _

Harry grinned as he saw realisation dawn in Dudley's eyes. He would not be able to carry along his game boy or his computer! An expression of pure horror settled onto Dudley's face. Harry grinned and kept reading.

"_You will be able to carry on with your normal lives, albeit under the protection of the Order. Order members will escort you everywhere you go and I'd like to assure you that our members our trained to the best standards and will not lose in the unlikely event of a fight._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Arthur Weasley" _

Harry finished reading the letter and looked at Vernon, whose face was slowly turning a sickly shade of purple. Petunia and Dudley seemed horrified at the thought of leading 'normal lives' with the wizards protecting them. Finally, when Vernon couldn't hold it in any longer, he burst out saying;

"_Boy, please for the love of god, do not tell me that our fate lies in the hands of that red headed freak who blew up my fireplace!?!"_

"ENOUGH!" Mrs Figg bellowed, suddenly standing up, tea forgotten. She glared at Vernon.

"I will say this only once, Dursley, so listen up!" she whispered in a low voice. Petunia and Dudley stood dumbstruck, as the normally mild tempered lady walked up to Vernon, her eyes showing just how angry she was. They weren't alone. Harry's face showed the same surprise.

"We are _not _freaks, we are not _abnormal_; we are humans!" she continued. "We eat, we sleep, we work, and we breathe the same air as you! We may have different talents but we're all the same! And the sooner you get that into your thick skull, the better!" she ended furiously.

For a few moments, the entire room was silent, save for the ticking of the carriage clock on the mantle. Mrs Figg was glaring at Vernon, who, though he looked shaken, refused to back down from her gaze. The tension was thick.

Finally, Mrs. Figg looked away and glanced at Harry. "Harry, I'd appreciate it if you came around my house for a spot of tea in the afternoon. There are a few more things that need to be discussed with you. The Headmaster will be there." She said quietly.

"Really?" Harry shook himself out of the daze he'd been in. "What more is there to discuss?"

"A lot of things, Harry." Said Mrs. Figg warily. "The headmaster hasn't told me everything, but I believe he will tell you almost everything of importance that has happened. Why don't you come over at six, dear?"

Harry's surprise must have shown on his face, because Mrs. Figg smiled kindly at him and said;

"Dumbledore is not a man who repeats his mistakes very often." She spoke softly now. "His last mistake cost him a life. He won't forget that for quite some time. He will tell you everything." She repeated.

Harry's throat became tight and he found it difficult to speak as he understood which 'mistake' she had been referring to.

Mrs. Figg smiled kindly at him and with a "Don't be late, Harry!" she left No. 4, Privet Drive.

"I'll start packing." Petunia said slowly. Vernon looked at her in shock. "But, dear," he started. "We don't even know if these _people _are-"

"These 'people' are trying to keep you safe." Harry snapped. "Maybe you should thank them for going out of their way to help you, rather than complaining all the time!"

"Don't you talk that way to me-!" Vernon said, outraged.

"Vernon," Petunia interrupted. Harry noticed that her face had a strained expression, as if the conversation was causing her some distress.

"If we don't go, then more of those freaks will come to the house, to try and persuade us. Think what the neighbours will say! And what if Mr. Grunnings catches a whiff of it?" she said. "You have an annual review coming up don't you?"

Vernon's expression was priceless; he looked torn between choosing to live with 'the freaks' and risking a promotion for the top job at his firm. A position which, Harry remembered, Vernon had been obsessively talking about for the past few weeks.

Vernon looked frustrated as he could not find a counter argument.

Petunia didn't wait for his reply. She backed out of the room without looking at Harry, leaving Harry and Uncle Vernon to ponder her odd behaviour.

Harry was strongly reminded of Petunia's reaction when Dumbledore had sent her a letter the year before.

A few minutes later, Harry could hear loud noises from above, which Harry assumed must be Petunia lugging out the suitcases from the guest bedroom.

Harry took it as his cue to silently walk out of the room, only pausing to smirk at Dudley, who still seemed horrified at the thought of a year without his gadgets.

'_A year to eighteen months'_ said the voice. _'Wonder what they're doing to this rat hole…'_

"Aah…you're back." thought Harry.

'_Awww…you miss me?'_

"No, I merely enjoyed the peace of mind your absence allowed me."

'_Shut it.'_

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Harry spent the rest of the morning packing up his things. Admittedly, it didn't take long as most of his belongings were already in his trunk, since he hadn't bothered to unpack after returning from Hogwarts. The day passed slowly without any further excitement, save for Hedwig's return from hunting, who screeched loudly at Harry upon seeing her cage moved from its usual spot on the desk to the top of Harry's trunk. Harry had to resort to several owl treats (and bandages for his fingers) in order to calm her down.

Finally, after Hedwig had been successfully herded into her cage, Harry decided to go for a walk to celebrate this achievement.

He took his wand from his desk and put it in the back pocket of his jeans, but then changed his mind and settled with tucking it into an inside pocket of his jacket.

'_Mad –Eye Moody's rubbed off on you, I see.'_

He replied with a scowl, and walked out of his room.

He walked down the stairs, taking care of the steps he knew to creak when someone stepped on them. The Dursley's were too preoccupied with packing their things, that they wouldn't have noticed Harry anyway. Harry smirked as he passed Dudley's room and saw him trying to fit in his stereo into one of his many suitcases.

He slipped out of the house unnoticed. Looking at his watch, he saw it was only three in the afternoon. He had three hours to spare before he had to go to Mrs. Figg.

'_Why don't you walk by No. 7? … See what's going on over there?'_

This time Harry tried to be mature, and ignored the voice. But he started walking towards No. 7 anyway.

The atmosphere surrounding No. 7 in the morning had been one full of excitement and restlessness. Now, however, it seemed as if a cloud of peace had settled over the house. Harry couldn't hear any loud voices as he walked closer. He noticed that many of the cars, which had been parked haphazardly in the morning by No. 7, were now gone.

"The family must have gone home." Harry concluded. "It must be just the Singh's and January in there."

Harry's gaze was trained on the house on his left as he walked by it, when something collided with him. Harry fell to the ground with an "oof!" and something heavy fell on him.

Harry's glasses were knocked to the ground. He squinted and tried to see what he had collided with.

"If I hit a lamppost, this will be really humiliating." He thought wryly.

But all thoughts disappeared from his mind as a rich, fruity smell took over his senses.

"That's not a lamppost." thought Harry.

'_No shit, braniac! It's a person! And a very nice smelling one, too! Get up and see if she's alright!'_

"What makes you think it's a girl?" Harry muttered to himself as the person got off him, and Harry stood to his full height. He squinted at the ground, trying to find his glasses on the pavement, when the person took his hands and placed his glasses in it.

Harry put on his glasses and looked at the person he had crashed into.

His mouth dropped open.

It was a girl.

It was _definitely_ a girl.

_Told you so!_


	5. Interlude

Interlude

It was the middle of the night in Little Hangleton, and the entire village was silent. Hank Smith was walking back from the pub, to his small cottage right at the bottom of a hill.

Hank Smith was a plumber, born and brought up in Little Hangleton. No one in the village was entirely sure of his age, since their wasn't a grey hair to be seen on his person, but Dottie, the village gossip, close to eighty years old, could personally remember a time when there was a 'little Hank' running around the village when she was a teenager.

Hank's life was predictable; dreary and monotonous. Following his father's wishes, he had joined his father as an apprentice when he was seventeen. When his father passed away, Hank became the proud owner of Smith Plumbing (In a rush to flush? Call Smith!).

He had established a routine which he had followed for the past three decades. He woke up at seven in the morning, and after a short breakfast of toast and milk, would set off for his workshop, right next to the greengrocers'.

He would spend the day paying visits to the various inhabitants of Little Hangleton, fixing their problems. At six, he would close up shop and set off for a gin and tonic at the local pub.

Now, Hank muttered to himself as he stumbled along the footpath leading up to his home.

"Got an early day tomorrow…" Hank grumbled as he avoided tripping over a loose stone on the path. "Sladden wants me to look over her kitchen pipes for the third time this month…or was it Leeson?" he wondered.

He reached the front door of his cottage. He groped around inside his coat for the key. He found it in his left coat pocket. With shaking hands, he took it out. He dropped it.

Hank squinted in the darkness, trying to see where it had fallen. He bent down on his knees and started searching for it.

"Got to get a new lamp for the door…" he thought aloud. "Bloody village boys-"

He stopped midsentence and looked behind him. He could have sworn he heard the bushes rustle, even though it wasn't a windy night. He kept looking at the bushes. Everything seemed still.

Hank shrugged and went back to his search for the key. His fingers touched the cool metal.

Hank was about to let out a cry of joy, when he heard a rustle behind the bushes. He looked again, this time with suspicion. He walked closer to the bushes, key in hand to look for the source of the noise.

He parted the bushes and his feet made a crunching noise as he stepped on twigs and leaves. He walked further into the shrubbery.

A hooded figure rose from behind and pointed a long wooden stick towards Hank. Hank turned at the small noise. But before he could let out a sound, the hooded figure whispered something.

The last thing Hank remembered was green light and a rushing sound as he hit the ground. He was dead, before he even realised what was happening.

A humongous snake uncoiled itself from it spot on an overhanging branched and dropped to the ground, besides Hank's body.

As the snake wrapped itself around the body with a long hiss, the hooded figure whispered softly to his companion; _'Snack time, Nagini.'_

**AN: Yes! Old Voldie's back in Little Hangleton! Hmmm…wonder what he's doing there… (I know!) Keep reading**

**Peace out! : P**


	6. Summer: Ice cream

Summer: Ice cream

Harry stood, his eyes wide, as he took in the girl standing before him.

The first thing he noticed about her was her hair. It reached her waist and was a rich dark brown in colour. There was a messy, 'out of control' look about it. But the most beautiful thing about it was the way it curled into soft waves and framed her face.

The next thing Harry noticed was her eyes. They were the same dark brown colour as her hair, but they were twinkling.

She had the same smooth, russet coloured skin as the woman he Harry had talked to in the morning.

This was January Singh.

'_Soon to be January Potter.'_

"What?" Harry thought in a daze as he continued to stare. She seemed to be saying something to him. But Harry was more preoccupied by the way her lips moved rather than the noises that were coming out of them.

"_You'll see. What's she saying? Pay attention!" _the voice chided him.

Harry forced himself out of his daze.

"- I wasn't looking where I was going! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she said with a worried look on her face. Her voice sounded like Christmas morning, Harry thought happily.

January poked his shoulder.

"Hello?" she asked uncertainly. She looked warily at him. "Maybe you hurt your head…" she muttered. "That's why you can't hear me…_oh, crap! I made you deaf_!" she wailed.

"Uhh…" Harry finally found his voice. He hastened to reassure her. "No, no need to worry about it." He said "No harm done." He smiled at her.

She looked unsure.

"No, really. I'm fine." He said again. "It was my fault too. I wasn't looking where I was going either."

January smiled at him, with an apologetic look on her face. "Well, if you're sure…"

"I am."  
" Right. Well, sorry again!" and she started walking away.

"What? Wait- Hey!" Harry called after her. January looked back at him with curiosity.

"You're January, right?" he asked her as he walked closer to her. He noticed that her head didn't come past his shoulder.

"Um, yeah. I am." She said, looking at him in surprise.

"Hi, I'm Harry." Harry held out his hand. January took it. "You hosed me from behind when you were here last." He said grinning, enjoying the feel of her skin against his.

"Oh my god!" she cried out. Her face flooded with colour. She looked down at the ground. "That's so embarrassing! I remember you now! You were the boy in the garden! I-"

"No, don't apologize!" Harry interrupted her. "It was funny, now that I think about it!"

January looked at him and smirked.

"I wasn't going to." She said. "I was going to say that I had been aiming for your fat cousin. I was embarrassed because I missed. But I laughed anyway because of the look on your face."

Harry blinked.

_Phwoar. Marry her!_

Harry smiled down at her.

"You want go for an ice cream or something?" he asked. "To make it up to me for the accidental hosing?"

January looked up at him for a few moments.

"Sure." She said finally. "I'd love to."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"I cannot believe that I managed to miss him!" January laughed, as Harry and January walked down Privet Drive, arms linked. They both held ice creams in their hands.

Harry laughed too." I know!" he teased. "How thick do you have to be if you managed to miss a target as big as Dudders?"

"Hey!" she gave him a mock frown. "I'll have you know that I've passed out from school two years early!" she said proudly. "I am not thick at all!"

"Oh, yeah!" Harry remembered his conversation in the morning. "Your aunt told me that this morning!" he looked at her.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be a genius, you do some pretty dumb things, Jan."

January, or Jan as Harry had taken to calling her in the last hour, swatted his arm playfully.

"So, anyway." Harry said, his laughter subsiding.

"What are you going to do now? Now that you've finished school I mean?" he asked her.

"Oh, well I don't really know." Jan said slowly. "I don't think I want to go to college right now. I mean I studied _a lot_ to graduate early." She said with a laugh.

"I don't want to get back to the books right away!"

"I can imagine!" Harry replied smiling. "But what do you want to do anyway?"

"I haven't really thought about it." Jan said, frowning a little. "I've been focusing so hard on getting out of school that I didn't really give much thought to what I could do afterwards. I suppose, though, "She pondered out loud. She licked her ice cream thoughtfully.

Harry tried not to get distracted by her tongue.

"-I've always wanted to get a job restoring paintings and old artefacts, you know." She admitted.

"My grandmother's house is full of old paintings." She said wistfully. "When I was little, I used to love walking around the house and spend the day just looking at them."

Harry licked his ice cream. "What's stopping you from doing that?" he asked.

"My mother thinks that it's stupid, to spend my life restoring paintings." Jan said rolling her eyes. "And since she's the one who pays for my tuition, it's sort of hard for me."

Harry almost burst out saying that _he _would pay for her tuition. And anything else she desired.

_Steady there, my knight in shining armour. Let's keep the creepy to a minimum, shall we?_

"Why" Harry thought. "I've got enough money in Gringotts to pay for it!"

_Yeah, but lets not make it seem like you're trying to buy her off. Okay, mate?_

"Fine…" Harry muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Jan asked him.

"Oh, nothing." Harry replied quickly. "So, that must be hard for you." He sympathised with her.

"Not being able to do what you really want just because of the money."

"Yeah, it is a bit." Jan said. "But I've got time to make them change their minds. And I'm their only daughter. "She said with a smirk. 'There are certain perks!"

The couple approached No.7.

"Well, "Jan said with a smile. "It was great talking to you, Harry! I had a lot of fun today!"

"Yeah, it was." Harry agreed. "How long are you here for?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm here for the summer, maybe longer." She replied, running her hands through her hair. She chucked the ice cream cone into the rubbish bin on the sidewalk.

"My parents have decided to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary by taking the year off, and going on a cruise. "She said with a slightly disgusted expression on her face.

"So they've dumped me on my aunt and uncle for a while." She grinned.

"That's great," Harry said, grinning back at her. "We can hang out a lot then!"

_Not a lot, Romeo, you're leaving with the Dursley's soon, remember?_

Harry's disappointment must have shown on his face because Jan touched his arm and asked; "what's the matter?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, with my relatives." Harry said quietly. "We're going on…eh, a holiday."

Jan's face fell. "That's too bad." She said gently. "When will you be back?"

"Uh, in a month, maybe two. My relatives, "Harry said clearing his throat. "They own a house there. So uh, it's going to be a long holiday."

"Well, I'm here for a long time." Jan said, her face brightening a little. "A whole year, if I ask my parents. We can hang out then, Harry!"

"Maybe not," Harry said with a small smile. "I'm not a genius like you, "he teased her. "Some of us still have to go to school with an average sized brain!"

Jan laughed. "Well, we still have tomorrow, Harry. Let's make the most of it!"

And before Harry realised what she was going to do, Jan reached up and kissed Harry on his cheek.  
"I expect to see you tomorrow morning at eight sharp, Harry" Jan called as she turned and walked up the stone path to No.7.

"No excuses!"

"Never!" Harry called back, smiling like a mad man. His cheek had a pleasant tingly feeling which was slowly spreading to the rest of his body.

Harry watched as she opened the door to No.7 and with a last parting smile, went inside.

Harry stood in the same spot for a while, grinning madly at the closed door.

_Not to be a spoilsport, Romeo, but don't you have another date?_

"What the hell do you mean?" thought Harry, as he relived the entire kissing scene in his mind. She had extremely soft lips, he remembered. It had seemed even softer against the stubble on his face. He'd forgotten to shave in the morning.

_Mrs Figg! It's almost six now! You're supposed to meet Dumbledore!_

Harry cursed loudly, and looked at his watch. It was five minutes to six. He cursed again. He had completely forgotten about his meeting!

_No shit. Now hurry over there!_

Harry only paused to mentally shout a few curses at the voice, before turning and running towards Mrs. Figg's house.

He had to meet Dumbledore.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

January lay down on her bed and looked at the ceiling above.

She still had to unpack her things out of her suitcases, but right now, she had other things on her mind.

Harry. Harry Potter.

She smiled at the ceiling, and closed her eyes for a nap.


	7. Summer: Conversations

**AN: okay you guys, my account says that I have 103 visitors…and only 4 reviews…sense the tone, people!!!**

**Please review and let me know if you like it, hate it, ANYTHING!!!!!!**

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Summer: Conversations

Harry stopped, panting, outside Mrs, Figg's house. He looked at his watch.

_Six on the dot. Not bad, my friend._

Harry paid no heed to the 'interruption' as he had taken to calling it, and proceeded to ring the doorbell.

He heard a rustling inside. A few moments later, the door swung open revealing a rather flustered looking Mrs. Figg, holding a can of cat food.

"Oh, Harry, it's you!" she said. She thrust the can of cat food into Harry's hand.

"Would you be a dear and go feed Maple for me, Harry?" she asked, as she ushered Harry inside and closed the door. "I'm afraid she feeling a bit ill and I've just put a pot of tea to boil!"

"Of course, Mrs Figg, I-"Harry started, but before he could finish, Mrs. Figg had already rushed into the kitchen.

He hadn't been inside Mrs. Figg's house for a long time. The furnishings had always been a bit too garish for Harry's taste. The rooms were bright, and flowers seemed to be a recurring pattern everywhere. From the curtains covered in tulips to the sofas covered with roses, nearly everything besides the television had a floral pattern.

Another recurring theme was cats. The shelves were decorated with picture frames. But instead of people filling the frames, there were Mrs. Figg's prize winning felines.

Harry walked into Mrs. Figg's living room. It was a rather large room, but Mrs. Figg had filled it with little furniture, giving the room and empty feeling. He looked around for a sign of any one of Mrs. Figg's numerous cats.

A small mewl made him look down to his feet. There was a fluffy grey cat standing at Harry's feet, staring up at him with dark morose eyes.

"You must be Maple, then?" Harry whispered, as he bent down and offered the opened can of cat food. He examined the felines' collar. 'Maple' was written boldly across the blue leather in sliver. The cat continued to stare at Harry balefully.

Harry put the can at her feet and stood up.

"Go on then," he urged her. "Eat it up."

Maple didn't move. She continued to stare at Harry.

Harry noticed that Maple had rather strange marks around her eyes, like spots, only they were small and a shade of peacock blue.

Harry frowned. "Did you get some paint on yourself?" he thought.

He bent down and inspected her closely. He rubbed the specks gently with his forefinger. Maple mewled again, and closed her eyes, leaning into Harry's touch. Harry's finger came away without any blue on them.

"That's odd." Harry murmured frowning.

It was true that he didn't know much about cats, but he was pretty sure that they didn't come covered with spots in shades of peacock blue. The spots, Harry noticed formed a pattern down Maples' back, right down to his tail, where they formed a cluster at the tip.

Her eyes were a clear shade of turquoise.

Suddenly, with a crack, Maple disappeared.

Harry reeled back in shock.

He extended a hand towards the spot. A second ago, the space was occupied by a cat. Now, it was just air.

Mrs. Figg bustled in holding a tray with three cups of tea on it.

"Dumbledore will be here soon, Harry." She said, as she set the tray down on a small table next to the fireplace. "He's running a little late. Mundungus ran into a bit of trouble during Order work at the Leaky Cauldron. Why that man's still in the Order is beyond me! Completely unreliable, he his! I still haven't forgotten how he upped it and left you to fight for the dementors! But Dumbledore thinks he may be useful, so there we-" Mrs. Figg trailed off as she saw the look of shock on Harry's face.

'Harry, dear!" she said alarmed. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a –"

"Don't say it!" Harry interrupted her loudly. "There has to be a rational explanation!" he muttered to himself.

"Harry, where's Maple?" Mrs. Figg asked, as she looked at the untouched can of cat food on the floor. "Did you manage to find her?"

"Yeah, I did!" Harry started hoarsely. "But then she just…" Harry broke off, at a loss for words to adequately describe what had surpassed.

"Oh, you mean she disappeared?" Mrs. Figg said smiling. "Yes, she does that sometimes to new visitors."  
Harry stared at her, dumbfounded.

Mrs. Figg chuckled. "It's her way of impressing new comers. She only does it to people she likes. Here, I'll call her for you."

And she whistled loudly with her two middle fingers in her mouth.

With another crack, Harry saw Maple reappear, this time seated on an armchair.

Harry couldn't say for certain, but it almost looked like Maple was smirking.

"She's an Avalonian Cat." Mrs. Figg explained. She tickled Maple behind her ears, eliciting a loud purr from the feline.

"They are said to have been created by Merlin himself." She continued. She offered the untouched cat food to Maple, who now greedily pawed at it. "They're really good companions. Wonderfully smart too, and extremely rare. Their best quality is that they recognise various types of magic."

Seeing the confusion on Harry's face, she elaborated further.

"They can recognise a dark wizard when one comes close. Or a dark creature, for that matter. It's a useful ability; especially for squibs who are sometimes left helpless in case of an attack. She was the one who warned me about the Dementors when they attacked you in Privet Drive." She fondly petted Maple on her head.

Maple let out a helpful mewl. She stuck her tongue out at Harry.

"It was an early Christmas present," Dumbledore said as he strode into the room. "and I was rewarded for my efforts with two lovely pairs of woollen socks and a box of lemon drops." He finished, as he sat down on the armchair opposite Maple, his eyes twinkling.

Mrs. Figg bowed her head. "It was the least I could do for such a lovely gift."

Professor Dumbledore reached for a cup of tea. After taking a sip from hit, he looked up at Harry.

"Won't you join me, Harry? You must be thirsty after running all the way from No. 7."

_Goddamnit! How does the blasted man know everything?_

Harry could not help but agree with this sentiment.


	8. Little Hangleton

Interlude

Dolohov apparated at the bottom of the hill with a crack. Two cracks a few seconds later signified the arrival of Nott and Crabbe.

"Damn it!" Dolohov cursed; as he noticed he had apparated on top of a pile of bones, still bloody and now stinking.

He pointed his wand at his robes and shoes and cleaned the gunk of off them with a swish of his wand.

"Now, that you've finished beautifying yourself, Dolohov," Nott started sarcastically. "Can we proceed with the task at hand, if that's alright with you?"

Dolohov paused to curse at the smirking pair before he started to walk up the hill, Nott and Crabbe following close behind.

Their robes billowed behind them as they quietly walked up to the cottage nicknamed 'The Riddle House' by the inhabitants of Little Hangleton.

Nott opened the door with a creak, his wand held before him, the tip projecting a beam of light into the dark, musty room.

He almost shot the Killing curse when he heard a small scuffle on his right. Dolohov caught a hold of his arm.

"It's only the worm," he muttered. "Leave him be. We have to meet the Dark Lord."

He turned to Wormtail. "Still afraid of the dark, are you Pettigrew?" he said mockingly.

"Don't quite know what the Lord see's in you. I mean," he paused. "You're just a pesky little rat, in my opinion."

Before Pettigrew could sputter out a reply, Dolohov left with a sneer on his face. Nott and Crabbe followed with similar expressions of disgust.

Dolohov took a deep breath before reaching his hand out to open the door in front of him. Then he thought better of it.

"Maybe, you two should go first. You have the good news." He whispered to his companions.

Nott smirked. Crabbe just stood there, his face blank.

Without bothering to reply, Nott pushed opened the door, and walked inside. Crabbe followed him. Dolohov hung back, uttering a quick prayer, before walking in and shutting the door behind him.

He turned to face the small crowd assembled in the centre of the room. The room was dark, the only source of light coming from the moon outside. The people were all wearing black robes and masks. One member of the crowd held a long silver cane in his hand.

"Still got the pimp cane, I see." Dolohov thought as he moved to stand besides Crabbe. He knelt to the ground in respect.

"What news do you bring?" the Dark Lord said coldly. He sat on wooden chair, Nagini by his side. Nagini let out a slow hiss at the arrival of the newcomers.

"My Lord," Nott whispered as he knelt to the ground as well. "My plans have succeeded. Belvoir has been put under the Imperius Curse. He is now in position to-"

"That's enough." The Dark Lord said lazily. Nott cursed inwardly. He had said too much.

Crabbe knelt down besides Nott.

"The spies have been planted inside St. Mungo's, My Lord." He muttered in his hoarse voice. "I have placed the Imperius Curse on five of the eight Healers in the Spell Damage Ward, as well as the Head Healer, Shrewsbury."

"Very well," The Lord whispered as Nagini uncoiled herself from Nagini's lap and slithered towards a sweating Dolohov.

"And what news do you bring?" he said quietly, looking at a shaking Dolohov.

"My Lord," Dolohov began, surprised he could speak without a tremor in his voice. "They evade us. Finding them among the ordinary muggles is the most difficult task. There is nothing which separates them physically, making it hard for us to know which ones have the powers."

"Of course there's nothing separating them, you fool!" Lord Voldemort spat venomously. Nagini coiled herself around Dolohov's shaking legs. "They are like ordinary muggles, yet extraordinary! They do not know themselves about the power they possess! Can you imagine how much of an advantage we would have if we could harness their power?"

The Dark Lord's eyes glinted dangerously.

"What sickens me is that these powers belong to _them_. Those complete barbarians! They cannot even realise their true potential…" he paused. Nagini coiled herself tighter around Dolohov. Dolohov let out a squeak of fear. His robes were drenched with his sweat.

"My Lord," he gasped. "Give me more time! I promise you! I-"

"Promises mean little to me." Voldemort replied, his voice showing a bit of amusement. "You all promised me your never wavering servitude, yet scattered for cover when I was defeated. So you see," he paused. Several of the inhabitants of the room shuffled nervously on their feet.

"Promises mean little to me."

He looked around the room. His eyes landed on the person on Dolohov's left.

"Malfoy shall join you on your mission Dolohov." Voldemort said with a cruel smile. "Lucius, my slippery friend! Tell me how much you have accomplished so far!"

Lucius held onto his cane tightly. Though the mask hid it, his face was paler than usual, and his eyes showed how scared he was.

"I have accomplished much, my Lord." He started, as he knelt down and bowed his head to the ground. "I have found that the wards protecting the boy are weakening as we come closer to September the first. Soon they will be so weak that we can attack the boy-"

"Careful, Lucius." Voldemort chided him. "Dumbledore's little gaggle of followers will no doubt be aware of this fact. Dumbledore is no fool!" he admitted.

"He would have made arrangements for the boy to be taken to safety. You must act fast, and take the boy before they have a chance to move him to safety. Get Belvoir to block all Floo passages to the house." He ordered Nott.

Nott shook his head violently.

"Yes…" Voldemort whispered. "Dumbledore is certainly no fool." He repeated.

"I'm sure he knows of the muggles. The muggle-lover that he is, he would surely try to _protect _them from my reach." He laughed scathingly.

He looked at Dolohov and Malfoy.

"The two of you will continue to search for them." He said. "Remember, I want them alive, not dead. You may go."

Nagini uncoiled herself from Dolohov's quivering form. He got up slowly. No one help him.

One by one, the Death Eaters made their way out of the room.

Just as Dolohov was going to walk through the door-

"Not yet, Dolohov." The Lord whispered from behind.

The last thing he saw before the door swung shut was Nott's face, smirking at him. And then-

"_Crucio."_

**AN: Interesting so far?? Let me know!**


	9. Summer:The New Order

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to update. My exams just ended so I just took a few days off to chill out. Besides I found this chapter extremely hard to write because I had to think about how Harry's meeting would go. Like, plan it out exactly in my head.**

**So sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review!**

Summer: The New Order

Mrs. Figg quietly walked out of the room with Maple at her heels.

"Arabella will not be joining us for this meeting, Harry." Dumbledore said, following Harry's gaze. "I thought it would be best if we could talk alone. Why don't you take a seat?"

Harry took the seat opposite Dumbledore's and reached for his own cup of tea.

He felt self conscious as he saw Dumbledore observing him intently as he sipped his tea.

"How did your relatives react to the news of their departure?" he asked politely, as if he was inquiring about the weather.

"Oh, um." Harry thought back to the morning (Had it only been this morning? So much had happened since then!).

"They took it well. I mean, as well as can be expected, I guess." Harry said, grinning slightly as he remembered Dudley's horror struck expression.

"They perhaps need some time to adjust to the idea. I'm sure they will warm up to the thought soon." Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling as he took a sip of tea.

Harry severely doubted this as he remembered the purple hue of Vernon's face and Petunia's emotional breakdown.

"You must be wondering about the purpose of this meeting, Harry." Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded quietly.

"Well," Dumbledore replied. He set his tea cup down onto the table. "I feel that the time has come that you ought to be more informed about the Order's work."

Harry's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to reply, but Dumbledore held up his hand to silence him.

"Please do not take this to mean that you will be a member of the Order. That still remains the privilege of overage wizards." Dumbledore said gently.

"But I mean to tell you more about what the Order members are doing, what I am doing, and the purpose of it all."

Harry nodded again.

"But before I embark on that rather lengthy discussion, I would like to inform you that Sirius's will was read out last week." Dumbledore said as he polled a scroll from his robes and handed it to Harry.

"He has left you No. 12, Grimmauld Place as well as a considerable sum of money, which has already been transferred to your vault at Gringotts."

Harry unrolled the scroll handed to him. The top of the scroll had the Gringotts emblem embossed in gold. Miniscule writing covered the rest of the scroll except for a small space at the bottom which was left empty presumably for signatures.

"That is the copy of Sirius's will the goblins gave to me to give you for consideration." Dumbledore explained. "Unfortunately, all legal documents in the wizarding world are written in Gobbledook so as to preserve their contents from the general population."

"What do I have to do with it?" Harry asked trying to make out some of the words written on the document.

""Nothing at all." He replied. "It's just a formality. If you want I can have it sent to your vault at Gringotts for safekeeping."

"Yeah, let's do that." Harry said firmly and handed the scroll back to Dumbledore, who took it and with a wave of his hand; the scroll vanished with a 'pop'.

Dumbledore sipped his tea and looked at Harry.

"Also, Harry." Dumbledore started. "According to wizarding statutes, the ownerships of house elves passes on to the next of kin, or any person deemed worthy of it by the previous owner."

"Does that mean…?" Harry asked with horror.

"Err…yes, Harry." Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling. "I'm afraid you are now the legal owner of Kreacher."

Revulsion bubbled in the pit of Harry's stomach as the thought of owning the creature directly responsible for Sirius's death ran through his mind.

"Under normal circumstances, I would suggest that Kreacher be taken away to Hogwarts and put to work in the kitchens, where the other house elves could keep an eye on him. However,-"

"Yeah!" Harry interrupted. "Why can't we do that? Dobby and Winky could keep him in line!"

The idea of Kreacher being kept as far as possible from him made the idea of owning him a bit more bearable. But it didn't matter; Hermione would give him hell for 'giving in to the slave trade' no matter where Kreacher was kept.

"May I suggest that for now, Kreacher remain at Grimmauld Place, Harry?" Dumbledore said as he sipped his tea. "There are some Order members currently residing there, and they could make sure that he doesn't wander too far."

"Would he listen to them?" Harry wondered. "They're not his masters, and they're a bunch of 'blood traitors' to him, anyway."

"Yes, but Sirius had ordered Kreacher to obey any member of the Order. Kreacher does not have the power to disobey such a direct order from his master. That does not change with death." Dumbledore replied. "It's best that he stays under the eyes of the Order."

Harry nodded his agreement. He wanted nothing to do with the house elf.

Dumbledore reached into his robe and withdrew a sheaf of papers from his inside pocket.

They were newspaper clippings, Harry realised. From the Daily Prophet, as Harry saw some moving pictures.

"The next thing I want to discuss with you, Harry, "Dumbledore said as he placed the sheaf of papers on the table. Harry could read a part of the heading. It shouted "Leaky Cauldron Vulnerable?"

"-is the matter of your safety."

Harry looked up.

"I don't think that wandering too far from Privet Drive would be too wise." He said. "Especially considering last year's Dementor attack."

"Of course, sir." Harry replied.

"Also, I wanted to warn you." Dumbledore said gravely. "I asked Mr. Weasley to be careful of what he said in front of your relatives this morning, so as not to scare them too much. But I must warn you Harry,"

He sighed before continuing. "The wards protecting your house are much weaker than Mr. Weasley let on."

Harry narrowed his eyes slightly. "How weak exactly, sir?" How much had Dumbledore hidden from him in the morning?

"The wards grow weaker with every day you come closer to September the first, that is, the day you leave for Hogwarts. Voldemort will be aware of this fact. We know for certain that he has been trying to keep an eye on you." He replied.

"So he might try to attack Privet Drive? Is that what you're saying?" Harry asked him incredulously. He could have been attacked when he was with Jan! And Dumbledore was telling him now?

Dumbledore nodded. 'That is exactly what I'm saying Harry. While you're within Hogwarts, he cannot cause you any harm. He will try to take advantage of the weakening wards. And therefore, you have to be extremely careful. Always carry your invisibility cloak and wand with you wherever you go."

Harry would have told him that carrying a cloak in his back pocket wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish, unless he had a jacket. But in the dry heat of Surrey, that would be hard to explain. Harry was too shocked to say anything in reply.

Dumbledore sipped his tea again.

"The third matter I wanted to talk about concerns the Order." He picked up the sheaf of papers and held them out to Harry. "I wonder, Harry, do you read the Daily Prophet regularly?"

Harry took the papers from Dumbledore and shuffled through them.

They all dated between June and July of that year. They were from newspapers from various countries around the world. He took out one clipping from the small but thick pile and started reading. It was a clipping from an Australian newspaper, the Wizarding Trumpet.

_Muggle girl walks into Apple and Porter's!_

_-By John Havenbury_

_14__th__ July, Sydney: __in a shocking incident on Friday, a fourteen year old muggle girl walked into Apple and Porter's Bookshop for Wizards. The most surprising fact is that she managed to do so without the aid of a wizard or witch. The muggle, identified as Genelia Souza had absolutely no prior knowledge of the wizarding world._

_The cashier at the counter of Apple and Porter's recognised Souza for a muggle but simply thought she was the relative of a muggle born customer._

_Said Mr. Sinkley, who has been an employee at the bookshop for over thirty years; "Walked into the bookshop, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, she did. Thought she was visting with a muugleborn. You get those all the time. Then she starts asking all these questions about 'suppliers' and something called 'laws of Fisicks' when she saw the new poster for the Firebolt. You know the one with the Firebolt flying in and out of the hoops! That's when I realised that she was a muggle!"_

_Mr. Sinkley contacted Magical Law Enforcement. Ms. Souza was later obliviated by aurors at the Ministry of Magic, and sent home with two escorts._

_Apple and Porter's remained unavailable for comment, but several neighbouring shops have raised concerns over the falling standards of wards set up by the Ministry of Magic, especially Muggle repulsion charms._

_The fact that the Ministry has been lax on matters of security in the past is old news. But this reporter finds it shocking that their standards have fallen so low, that we are vulnerable to complete exposure!_

_The Minister of Magic, Mr. Darius Ponsonby, will hold a press conference tomorrow at eight in the morning. This reporter hopes that some explanation is hopefully forthcoming. _

"No, I don't read it regularly sir." Harry answered, as he finished reading and started looking at the other newspaper clippings. One had a moving picture of several Gringotts Goblins throwing out three men dressed in Muggle clothes.

Harry looked up. "Are other wards weakening as well?" he asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Alas, I only wish it was that simple Harry. I'm afraid the matter runs deeper than that."

"Isn't Gringotts supposed to be the most protected place in England? Asides from Hogwarts, of course." He added hastily, as Dumbledore cocked one eyebrow.

"It is, yes." He didn't elaborate any further.

"So…" Harry gestured at the newspapers wordlessly.

Dumbledore chuckled again. "Harry, you may have noticed that these articles focus on the magical enchantments which protect magical establishments from the Muggle world."

Harry nodded confused.

"You of course know, that muggles are able to pass into magical abodes provided they are accompanied by a witch or a wizard to leads them through." He said.

Harry nodded again. The picture of a flustered looking Mr. and Mrs Granger in Flourish and Blott's from his second year flew through his mind.

"What the articles in the Daily Prophet have failed to emphasise properly, Harry, is that the concerned muggles walked in _unaccompanied_." Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair.

Harry nodded again.

"You'll notice that the Australian reporter, Mr. Havenbury has reported this fact, but he has failed to realise the significance."

"But sir isn't that because of the weakening wards?"

"There's the rub Harry!" the headmaster stood up and took a few steps around the room. "Wards don't just collapse! It's a very precise branch of magic, and extremely powerful! It would take more than time to weaken them! Unless some external force has been attacking them!"

Harry stood up as well. He approached Dumbledore.

"Does Voldemort have anything to do with this?"

He shook his head in reply. "My tests have revealed that no magic has been used on the wards to either weaken on strengthen them for the past forty years. And I also know for a fact that Australian wards are set up by private curse breakers, who are serving the Australian Ministry of Magic under contract. Their wards are some the strongest in the world. And they would be the last ones to sabotage them; it's their reputation on the line, after all. No, the wards are just as strong as ever!"

"But then, how could muggles have simply walked into the Leaky Cauldron without a witch or a wizard helping them?" Harry asked confused again. He looked at a clipping from the Daily Prophet. It said that three men had walked into Gringotts and had reached the trolleys before anyone realised that they were non-magical.

Dumbledore turned around slowly and looked Harry in the eye.

"It's not only in the Leaky cauldron and Apple and Porter's, Harry. Such incidents have become more common over the past few years. And they have been scattered across the globe. I have sources in almost every wizarding newspaper on the planet and they all send me clippings of articles concerning muggles. I have been following this phenomenon for quite some time."

He paused again.

"They walked in because they could surpass the magic protecting the magical entrance." He said.

"They 'surpassed'-?"

"The magic had no effect on them."

Harry stared up at him.

"But that would mean-"

Dumbledore nodded his head slowly. His glasses glinted in the light.

"It seems, Harry," Dumbledore replied slowly. "that they were immune to our magic."

"_Immune?!"_

Harry gawked up at Dumbledore.

"There must be a mistake!" he started. 'How could they be immune? Even Tom himself can't resist the wards guarding Hogwarts! How could a muggle walk into-"

He broke off at a loss for words for the second time that evening.

"Maybe they aren't muggles!" he exclaimed in triumph. "Maybe they were wizards playing a prank!"

Dumbledore shook his head again.

"There is no doubt of the fact that they were muggles, Harry. I interviewed them myself. Tonks informed me of the incident when the muggles were brought in on the charge of being suspected Death Eaters. They had absolutely no idea about the existence of the wizarding world.'

"Suspected Death Eaters?! Them?!" Harry pointed at one of the newspaper photographs. The picture showed the men who were being thrown out of Gringotts. One man was obese, balding and wearing what seemed to be a roman toga. Another seemed to be wearing a batman costume. The third was wearing what Harry could only identify as a cotton candy suit.

"Er…yes." Dumbledore let out a chuckle. "It seems that the men were looking for the venue of a costume party. And when they saw the goblins, they naturally assumed…"

Harry could just imagine the faces of the goblins.

"The goblins contacted Magical Law Enforcement; they like you thought it was a practical joke. When the MLE wizards arrived on the scene and realised who they were, they contacted the Auror Department, and Minister Fudge. Tonks was one of the aurors on duty when the men were brought in. she sent an owl to me immediately."

Harry suppressed his anger at hearing Fudge's name and surged ahead for more details.

"So, what does this mean, sir?" he asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore appeared pensive. "I don't quite know Harry. We are dealing with something which has most likely been around for many years, but is only just coming into the light now. These special powers, I can only assume that they are born with them."

"Born with it?" Harry asked. "But how can that be possible?

"Think about it Harry." urged Dumbledore. "Wizards have been around for thousands of years. It is only in the last few centuries that the wizarding society separated itself from the non-magical population. Muggles have been exposed to a substantial amount of magic over the centuries. They may not realise it, but there is a lot more magic in their lives than they would ever imagine! It is purely conjecture on my part, but" he paused and said his next sentence slowly.

"It could be possible that a small percentage of those who did not have the ability to channel magic, developed ways to _resist it._"

Silence met this declaration. That and wide eyes.

"It is evolution Harry. Man is continuously changing, adapting to a new life. This new order of muggles is simply the next link in a very long chain."

Harry found his voice.

"How many do you think there are in the world?" he asked blankly.

Dumbledore sighed again. "Alas, Harry that is something I cannot even venture a guess at. It's impossible to know for sure. But I think we can safely assume," he said slowly.

"That there are some in every society. They are few in numbers right now. But the gift will spread as they reproduce and with time it will become quite common. But that is still many generations way."

"What does this have to do with the Order?" Harry asked after a few moments passed in silence.

"Oh, yes!" the twinkle in his eyes returned. "I almost forgot! Thank you so much for reminding me Harry! We have two new members I'd like you to meet today!" he walked to the door separating the living room from the corridor and opened it.

Two men stood there. One was dressed in wizarding robes and the other in Muggle. They walked into the room.

Dumbledore gestured towards the one dressed in wizarding robes. He was tall, and had a pale complexion. His hair was long and blonde. He had tied it into a ponytail. He walked up to harry and shook his hand.

"An honour it is to meet you, I'm sure, Harry!" he exclaimed with a smile. His voice was deep and had a strange twang to it. His eyes lingered briefly on Harry's forehead.

"Harry, this is John Havenbury, a part time journalist for the Wizarding Trumpet." Dumbledore said the twinkle in his eyes brighter than ever. "He has just become a full time member of the Order of the Phoenix."

"I'm looking for a job in which I can write something." John said, cheerfully. "I'm trying to make contacts for the Order in journalism so we can put a cork in all the propaganda that the Daily Prophet is leaking out. Might have to start my own paper, mind you." He said wryly.

"Seems to me that if I join the Prophet all I have to do is suck up to that broad Rita Skeeter. It's Crumple-Horned Snorcacks at the Quibbler, I hear!" he ended with a guffaw.

Harry laughed along with him. His cheerful disposition was infectious.

The other man moved forward. He was as tall as Harry. His curly brown hair reminded Harry of someone, but he couldn't imagine who.

"And this is Timothy Granger." Dumbledore said as Timothy moved to shake hands with Harry.

"He's related to Ms. Granger, Harry" he said replying to Harry's questioning look. Harry finally noticed the facial similarities between Timothy and Hermione.

"Nice to meet you." Timothy murmured quietly. "Hermione told me a lot about you."

"I didn't know that Hermione had a cousin who was a wizard as well." Harry said, surprised that something like that never came up in conversation with her.  
"That would be because I'm not a wizard." Timothy answered before Dumbledore could.

"I'm one of the muggles the Professor was talking about."

Harry waited for him to burst out laughing and admit that it was a joke. But all he got was a steady stare from Timothy.

Dumbledore simply lifted his wand and pointed it at Timothy. A blue jet of light shot out at the tip towards Timothy before Harry could utter a word.

The blue light, which Harry had recognised as a Tickling charm, instead of reducing Timothy to fits of laughter, was absorbed by Timothy's chest.

Harry stood with his mouth open. Timothy had a small smile on his face. Dumbledore was smiling at Harry as well. John, simply clapped Harry on his back with a guffaw.

"Scared the willies out of me too, Harry!" he said laughing. "Timothy here has replaced Tonks as the dinner time entertainment, I can tell you that much!"

"Yeah…" Harry replied, still shocked by what he had just seen. All shields could do was repel magic. And they were still beatable by extremely strong spells. Timothy didn't repel. He simply absorbed it!

"We're still in the process of testing how strong Timothy is." Dumbledore explained. "We're trying to find his limits."

Harry nodded, pretending that he understood what 'testing the limits' meant. Actually he had no idea what the old man was talking about.

"It means they chuck spells at me and see if I get affected." Timothy explained.

Oh. So that's what it meant.

Finally, Dumbledore said it was time to go. "It's getting dark outside, Harry. You should probably get home."

Harry nodded and the four made their way to Mrs. Figg's front door.

Harry waved at John and Timothy and nodded at Dumbledore, before he turned and started walking away.

It was nearly eight thirty, he noticed as he looked at his watch. Two and a half hours had gone by in a blink of an eye.

_He's given you plenty to think about though. You'll have trouble sleeping tonight I can tell._

Before Harry could reply, he heard he shout from behind. He turned to see Dumbledore walking up to him.

When they were standing a few feet away from each other, Dumbledore withdrew another newspaper clipping from his robe and handed it to Harry.

Harry took it without a word.

_Minster Fudge Impeached by order of Wizengamot!_

_By Gertrude Wilkins_

_In a move welcomed with many cheers of triumph and jubilation, the Wizengamot voted to impeach Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge on Thursday, June 29__th__._

_The main reasons stated by the Head of Wizengamot, Madam Bones, were Minister Fudge's conduct in the past year, as well as the wrongdoings of members of Fudge's staff. (For details on the reign of Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts, turn to page 12)_

_Madam Bones highlighted that in addition to defying many regulations by holding a full court trial for Harry Potter the year before (for details on the Harry Potter Trial, refer to page 14), and appointing a Defence against the Dark Arts Teacher for Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry, (a right reserved for the Headmaster of Hogwarts), Fudge also blatantly ignored Professor Albus Dumbledore's repeated warnings about You-Know-Who's return._

"_The fact that Minister Fudge chose not to pay Dumbledore's warnings any heed in spite of Albus's outstanding record at fighting the Dark Forces as well as his organizations work in the last war, seems to me a serious error in judgement." Madam bones said on Friday in a press conference. _

"_We could have spent the year preparing ourselves instead of spreading propaganda about the people trying to help us win the war!" she declared. (For more details on the Order of the Phoenix, refer to page 15)_

_In a landmark judgement, the Wizengamot also declared Sirius Orion Black, convicted of mass murder fifteen years ago, completely innocent. (For more details on the Sirius Redemption, turn to page 14). Madam Bones also took the trouble to point out that not only was Black sent to Azkaban without trial, but forced to spent thirteen years in captivity without meeting his legal representatives. Madam Bones labelled this as a 'serious breach of justice, as well as infringement of human rights'. A cash reward of twenty thousand galleons has been awarded to Black's next of kin, who still remains a mystery due to the laws of privacy surrounding all legal documents._

_Minister Fudge will end his term on July 26__th__. The interim minister till the next ministerial election in November will be Rufus Scrimegeour, currently the Head of Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic._

_Minister Fudge as well as Senior Undersecretary, and former Headmistress of Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge was unable for comment._

Dumbledore smiled at Harry, before walking away towards the two men who were now standing at the end of the street. Harry watched as Dumbledore reached them and put his arm on Timothy's before apparating with a muted crack. John followed a second later.

Harry turned and walked back to No.4 Privet Drive. There was a smile on his face as he read and reread the article.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Maple watched Harry walk away from the house from the living room window. Her blue eyes followed his path steadily.

She mewled once and disappeared with a crack.

**AN: Yay! I crossed 4000 words! Suck on that bitches!!!!!!**

**Woohoo!!!!!**


	10. Summer: Letters Part 1

**AN: okay, for some reason I couldn't log into my account for a few days, so I couldn't update. Some weird error on the site I think. Anyway, please tell me what you think of the plot so far.**

**I got one anonymous reviewer who said the plot line was cliché. Could you please tell me how?? Have I made any improvements? Because I've tried to in the last few chapters.**

**Anyway, please review! I only have 8 reviews and more than a 1500 hits!!**

Summer: Letters (Part 1)

Harry quietly closed the door behind him. He shoved the newspaper clipping in his back pocket.

The entire house was plunged in darkness. Harry could make out a couple of boxes and suitcases piled on top of each other in the corridor. By the light of the street lamp, he could see a tall pile of newspapers stacked up against the door of the cupboard under the stairs.

Harry was about to turn and head for his room when the door of the kitchen opened with a bang. Harry instinctively reached for his wand.

Aunt Petunia stumbled out holding a pile of dishes wrapped in bubble wrap. Her head was wrapped with a handkerchief and she was wearing her kitchen gloves. She stopped for a moment upon seeing Harry, but then continued after sniffing in Harry's general direction.

_Glad to see she's back to normal. I was getting worried about her when she actually seemed to agree with you this morning._

'Yeah," Harry thought half-heartedly as he started walking up the stairs. His mind was still reliving his conversation with Dumbledore. The sight of Timothy's chest absorbing Dumbledore's spell still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Granted, in his six years in the wizarding world, Harry had seen many strange things. But Harry had to admit, that none of that could have prepared him for the sight of Timothy's chest absorbing the blue light. He walked slowly down the hall, in deep thought.

He passed Dudley's room on his way and saw a jumble of suitcases lying open on the floor, clothes thrown haphazardly into them. Their owner seemed to have completely given up on packing and was sleeping curled up on the bedroom floor. Harry could almost feel the ground shake with every snore. He walked on.

The door to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bedroom was closed, but Harry could hear the muted noise of the television through the thick wood.

Harry finally reached his room. He pushed open the door and walked in. Hedwig hooted quietly in greeting.

"You're in a good mood." Harry murmured as he extended his hand through the bars of the cage and stroked the feathers on Hedwig's back.

"You won't believe what Dumbledore told me." He whispered. Hedwig cooed in content.

"But I met this girl today too," Harry said, his cheeks reddening a bit. Hedwig looked up at him with curious eyes. "You would like her, I think. Her name's January. Maybe you could meet her tomorrow, when we meet for breakfast."

Hedwig hooted in response, and then turned her head towards the window.

A small hoot drew Harry's attention to the window, and Harry saw the reason why.

A handsome mahogany coloured owl stood on the window sill, looking into the room, or, to be more specific, at Hedwig. The glass prevented the owl from coming in, but the owl tapped the window anyway with his beak. The creature let out a small coo of frustration as the glass refused to yield. Harry thought the expression on the majestic owl's face looked almost adoring.

_Yep. That owl of yours has got this poor sod completely whipped. Remind you of anyone? Cough! Cough! You! Cough! Cough!_

'I am not whipped!" Harry thought indignantly as he watched the owl bang his head on the glass in a futile attempt to get in.

_Uh-huh. Nice try. If it wasn't for my level headedness, you would have emptied your Gringotts account for her by now._

Harry ignored the voice and looked towards Hedwig. She was looking at the owl, her facial expression mirroring that of the males'.

_Looks like she's completely potty about him too. Make a handsome pair, don't you think?_

Harry stroked Hedwig again.

"Is this that the bloke you've been hanging out with?" Harry asked her. Hedwig looked up at him with guilty eyes. She ruffled her feathers and ducked her head under her wing.

"Oh no, Hedwig." Harry pried her face out from under her wing with his forefinger. "What did we agree on when it came to boys? "

Harry looked down at her with a stern face. "Did we not agree that you wouldn't bring anyone home with you? Not unless you're absolutely sure he's the 'one'?"

They had come to this agreement towards the end of Harry's fourth year, when Harry had walked into the Owlery on a visit to Hedwig, only to find her being courted by many of the school owls. Hedwig had agreed rather reluctantly, Harry remembered; she had rather liked the attention. Well, right up until that barn owl tried to hump her from behind.

Hedwig's quite hoot brought Harry back to the present.

"What d'you mean he's the 'one'?" Harry said indignantly. He looked at the male owl with a critical eye. The owl seemed to understand that he was being sized up and promptly straightened himself to his fullest height and puffed out his chest with confidence.

"Are you sure?" Harry whispered quietly. "I mean, he seems a bit full of himself if you ask me. Pigwidgeon would be a better match for you don't you think?"

Hedwig nudged Harry's finger with her beak, aware that he was only teasing.

"What about Errol?" Harry suggested smiling a little. "He's a bachelor, you know. He just needs a woman to help him settle down."

Hedwig nudged him again, this time a little harder.

"Or how about Fawkes, if you're going all out?" Harry teased her some more. "Now there's a handsome one if I ever saw one-Ouch! Hedwig!"

Harry withdrew his hand from the cage in a hurry and inspected the small cut on his finger. Blood was already started to seep out of it.

"Fine! I'll give you both some time alone!" Harry huffed as he sucked the blood on his finger. He walked towards the window and opened it. The owl flew in quickly and settled himself next to Hedwig's cage on Harry's trunk. The two owls rubbed their beaks together and let out quite coos of content.

**(AN: I can't resist this, but please, on the count of three…1…2…3…AWWWWWWWWWW!!!!)**

"I'm not going to let you out to fly tonight though. We're leaving tomorrow and Dumbledore said it wasn't safe." Harry warned the couple as he shut the window.

"And I want this bloke out by midnight!" Harry called as he walked out of the bedroom. Harry looked back to see the couple leaning their heads against each other. Harry smiled and shut the door to his bedroom quietly.

Now to find something for his bleeding finger.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry strained his ears as he slipped into the nearly dark corridor. He could hear nothing except for the dull murmur of the television from Uncle Vernon's and Aunt Petunia's bedroom. Quietly he started walking towards the bathroom. He nearly cried out when he stumbled over a cardboard box by their bedroom door.

Harry swallowed the curse he had been about to shout and continued on the journey. With a sigh of relief he reached the bathroom, and quickly went inside and shut the door behind him.

He quickly found the first aid kit, and applied a bandage onto his finger to supplement the many bandages already present. He looked at his handiwork with a smile of satisfaction.

A door slammed and Harry jumped involuntarily.

Vernon could be heard thumping down the corridor and down the stairs towards the kitchen. Harry took this chance to make a run for his room. He didn't think Vernon would be in the best of moods at that moment. He would take his chances with him another day. Perhaps on a day his hands weren't covered with bandages.

Without further ado, he opened the door and started for his room. He had just about made it when he tripped over something and fell down on the floor, face first.

_Ow. That hurt._

Really, Harry thought as he got to his knees and rubbed his nose. He straightened his glasses to see what he had tripped over. 'I would have thought the wooden floor would have made a soft landing.'

He squinted through the darkness to see what he had tripped over. It was the cardboard box. It lay open, with its contents spilling out. The box was full of letters and loose papers. Harry picked a few up and looked through them. Most of them were utility bills.

Harry started shoving as many papers and envelopes he could lay his hands on in the darkness into the box. He had just about finished when one open envelope caught his attention. He wouldn't have given it a second thought, because in the darkness, every envelope looked the same. But this particular envelope had a Chocolate Frog Card in it.

He could see the corner of the Chocolate Frog Card sticking out of the small envelope. Its gold border glinted in the little light available.

'Why would the Dursley's have a Chocolate Frog card?' he thought, as he took out the card and inspected it. It was a Dumbledore card. The picture was just a blank background but Harry could dimly read the writing on the back. Besides the card, the envelope had a folded piece of paper neatly tucked inside it.

Harry could hear Vernon stomping up the stairs. Harry didn't wait any further. He quickly put the chocolate frog card back into its envelope and into his jacket pocket, and moved the cardboard box to its original place; besides the door of his Aunt's and Uncle's room.

He was inside his room with Hedwig and her mate before Vernon had made it to the top stair.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry rested against the door and felt for the envelope in his jacket. He walked to his desk and switched on the lamp. In the yellow light of the lamp, Harry read the words written on top of the envelope in a neat handwriting.

_To Tuney _

_(to be given after my death)_


	11. Summer: Letters Part 2

Summer: Letters (Part2)

Harry blinked his eyes and stared at the envelope again.

_To Tuney_

_(To be given after my death)_

Harry reluctantly came to the conclusion that 'Tuney' could only be a nickname for Petunia. He found this hard to believe. In his sixteen years of living with her, he had never heard his Aunt being referred to as anyone but Petunia Dursley. Vernon always called her Petunia. He never gave any feeling of attachment or affection to the name.

Harry read the name on the envelope again. He slowly pulled out its contents. He placed the card on the table, and unfolded the letter.

The letter was obviously quite old. The paper had yellowed around the edges and had a stiff feeling to it.

Harry looked towards the owls in his bedroom. They had both abandoned cooing at each other and were staring at him, waiting to see what he would do next.

Harry made his decision. He threw away the few shreds of guilt he felt for reading a letter which was obviously private, he started reading.

_Dear Tuney._

_If you are reading this, then you know that I am dead. I don't know how much Professor Dumbledore would have told you about the circumstances surrounding my death. But I feel that I owe you an explanation for asking you to raise my son._

_First of all, you must understand that James and I never meant for you to have anything to do with our battle against the Dark Lord. However, we love our son unconditionally, and we want him to be safe. For this reason we must ask you to take him into your home._

_I write this letter to you while we prepare to go into hiding. James thinks that we will live undercover for at least a year. Harry is now two months old._

_James and I have decided that there is a fair chance that we will not make it alive. But in case Harry does, we need to make the necessary arrangements for his protection._

_I have invoked an ancient magic to protect Harry from Voldemort. The magic resides in his blood, in our blood. _

_While he is with you, in your home, he will be safe. There will be enchantments protecting your house. You will be hard pressed to find a safer house in all of England. No one could hurt you or your family if they tried to. The blood magic will protect Harry, as well as you._

_I hope that this will make you feel a bit more kindly towards my son. _

_I understand that you may not have the strength to forgive me for what I have done to our family over the years. I have not found the strength to forgive myself. But I hope that my last parting gift to you, in the form of protection, will make you forgive me a little. It has eased my conscience. But only by that much._

_You've made it perfectly clear since the day I went to Hogwarts that you don't want anything to do with me or my world. Even though it hurt me to do so, I respected your wishes._

_But however much hatred you may feel for me or my kind, I beg of you to not take it out on Harry. _

_Harry is your nephew. Your sisters' only child. He is young and innocent. He doesn't have the slightest idea about the evil which roams the world, freely, without any restraints._

_Tuney, I know that it is a lot to ask of you. You detested me while I grew up, and you detested James. You will probably hate my son too._

_But if not for my son, do it for your own family. Vernon and little Dudley! _

_The prophecy about Harry says that he may have the power to defeat Voldemort for once and for all! _

_You know all about my world! You know what Voldemort is capable of!_

_If you can't find it within your capacity to raise the son of the sister you loathe, I beg you to think about your family. You know that the world will be a dark place for as long as Voldemort is alive. Are you willing to let your hatred for my and magic affect your family's safety?_

_I know that you may never truly think of Harry as your son, and I accept that. You may never be able to love and support him._

_But Tuney, all I ask you is this; once Harry starts Hogwarts, give him the chocolate frog card that I have enclosed. He may not understand the significance of the card until many years have passed. But if I am not there to guide Harry in his life, the card will have to do my job._

_Remember me, Tuney; please fulfil the last wishes of your sister. Give Harry the card. _

_And if you can provide it, give Harry your love. _

_In these dark times, we all need it. _

_With love, _

_Lily Potter_

Anger rose within Harry like a tidal wave and consumed every part of him. He clutched the letter tightly in his hands. The noises around him faded into oblivion as his fury took a hold of his senses. His hair stood on end as the magic flowed out of him, without any restraints.

The desk began shaking and the lamp began flickering. Hedwig screeched as the shaking toppled her cage over the edge of the table, making it fall with a loud crash.

His mother had literally _begged _and _pleaded_, even in death, to her sister. So that her only son could have a life. And what had Petunia done? Harry thought with anger.

Harry began shaking as all the memories of his childhood flooded through his mind, washing away every other thought.

His Aunt and Uncle locking him in his cupboard for days on end without any food or water…

Dudley bullying him and beating him up in front of the entire school…

Aunt Marge setting her dogs on him…he had spent the night in a tree because she wouldn't call of that mutt…

"_She left her sister protection when she died as a parting gift." _Harry thought wildly. "_And Petunia didn't care. She still didn't give a damn!"_

Harry pushed back the desk with a bang. He stood up, letter and card in hand, and without paying the slightest attention to Hedwig still screeching on the floor; he walked out of the room.

He wanted answers. Now.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry blasted open the door to the kitchen in a fit of raw magic.

Petunia was doing her nightly kitchen counter scrubbing. She jumped and let out a small shriek at the sound of the door being blasted of its hinges.

"What do you think you're-"she started, but stopped as she saw the uncontrolled anger in Harry's eyes. Petunia shrunk back in fear as Harry took out his wand and restored the door to its former position and then locked it with a flick of his wand.

"You're not to do that here!" Petunia said waspishly. "I don't want any of that filth in my house!"

"Well, Aunt Petunia," Harry said as he cast a silencing charm on the room. "You'll find that tonight I don't really care about what you want."

Harry wordlessly held up Lily's letter into the light. Petunia's face paled and she let out a gasp.

"Where did you find that?" she whispered.

"Does it matter?" Harry said with gritted teeth. "I've found it now, haven't I?"

Harry pulled out a chair and sat down on it. The sound of the chair being dragged across the spotless kitchen floor echoed in the silent kitchen.

"How _could you?_" Harry hissed at her. Petunia glared at him without the slightest bit of remorse. "She _begged_ you to take care of me! SHE PROTECTED YOU AND YOUR SORRY FAMILY!" he ended with a shout.

Petunia cowered. "You don't know anything about what really happened!" she cried out. "You have no idea about the awful things she did!"

"THAT STILL DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE BLOODY RIGHT TO LOCK ME IN A CUPBOARD FOR ELEVEN YEARS!" Harry roared in fury. Petunia took a few steps back.

"Well, Aunt Petunia?" Harry said, fighting to control his anger and magic. "Are you going to tell me what my mother meant in that letter, or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

Harry emphasised the 'force' which caused Petunia to grow paler.

For a few moments, aunt and nephew stared at each other in silence. Harry was trying to get his anger to subside, and Petunia seemed to grow smaller and smaller as she realised that Harry was failing. Finally, Aunt Petunia spoke.

"She-She _ruined everything!_" she cried out. Harry banged the table with his fist.

"Rule number one, Aunt Petunia!" he said loudly. "If you're talking about my mum, you'll call her by her name! Not by 'she'."

Aunt Petunia choked. After a second she started speaking again.

"_Lily,_" she said slowly, as if the name caused her a great deal of pain. "ruined everything for me!"

"Funny. Because it seems to me like she still wanted to be friends with you. I doubt she would have tried to ruin anything of yours." Harry spat, fighting to keep in control of his fury.

"Ask your Headmaster!" she sneered, regaining a bit of confidence. "Why don't you ask him to tell you what happened on Christmas of '79? Maybe that will show you what a freak your mother really was!" she cried out.

Harry withdrew his wand from under the table and pointed it at his aunt. Petunia's eyes filled with tears, but she surged ahead, now near hysteria.

"You want to know why I didn't give you your letter?" she hissed at Harry. Harry was breathing wildly and using every ounce of self control to not blast a hole through his Aunts head.

Aunt Petunia took a deep breath, and said coldly;

"I didn't give it to you because for the past sixteen years I've tried to pretend I'm not related to the freak that killed my parents!"

Harry stood still in shock. He slowly lowered his wand.

"Ask your precious Dumbledore what he has to say to that!" she spat, glaring at him with contempt.

"My life has been cursed with your kind of unnaturalness for years!" she continued with her rant. "I still took you in despite your abnormality!" she screeched.

Harry stood numb at his position; his mind still trying to process Petunia's declaration.

"I don't care if you're my nephew!" she yelled at Harry. "You and your kind have overturned my life completely! And whatever that Dumbledore says, this will never be your home!"

Before Harry could reply though, three things happened in quick succession.

First, the air was suddenly pierced by a loud siren. The sound echoed throughout the room, and Harry could tell that people across the street could hear it clearly too.

Second, Maple apparated onto the kitchen table with a loud crack, and screeched loudly with the hairs on her back standing on end.

Third, a series of loud pops could be heard in the room. Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and John Havenbury drew their wands and looked around the room. Petunia let out a shriek at the sight of three men in wizarding robes in her neat and shiny kitchen.

The three men looked each other, and with a quick nod from all three, Remus and John left the kitchen through the back door.

Arthur walked up to Harry and laid his hand on Harry's shoulder. His eyebrows furrowed at seeing Maple on the table. He turned to Harry

"I don't know what in Merlin's name you did Harry," he said raising his voice, so that Harry could hear him over the siren. "But whatever it was completely destroyed the wards."

"What?!" Harry shouted back. "I didn't do anything!"

"Whether you did anything or not, we have to get you and your family out of here right now!" Arthur shouted back in reply. He walked quickly to the kitchen door and unlocked it.

"What?" Harry asked. "Why?" Harry clapped his hands over his ears to ease the ringing from the siren.

Even though Harry was partially deaf at that moment, and he couldn't hear Arthur's reply very well, Harry understood perfectly.

Arthur looked at Harry with a grave expression.

"The Death Eaters are going to attack. We have five minutes, tops."

**AN: Okay, this chapter is up thanks to Clydelives who told me to update even though I only got 2 reviews instead of the five I wanted ********. So anyway, this note is basically to give everyone who's following this story a fair warning;**

**My exams are coming up and even though I'll try to update as regularly as possible, there will be gaps. But please don't stop reading!!! This will all be over my mid-september! **

**Thanks for reading so far, and I hope you like this chapter! Please review!**


	12. Summer: The First Battle

Summer: The First Battle (Teaser)

Arthur grabbed Harry by his arm and dragged him out of the room. Petunia followed hurriedly after them, but Arthur ignored her completely. Maple followed as well.

At the foot of the stairs, he looked at Harry and released him from his grasp.

"You have ten seconds to get your things and your family downstairs and out of the front door. We'll get you out of here!" He shouted at Petunia over the loud ringing. He pointed up the stairs and then outside the living room window to his right.

"Get Harry's things as well! After that I won't be held responsible if you fall flat on your arses! Got it?" he finished urgently. Petunia nodded violently and practically tripped over herself trying to get up the stairs, as she tried skipping two steps at a time.

Given any other situation, Harry would have been surprised and a little amused at hearing Mr. Weasley swear at his aunt. At the moment though, he could only focus on one solitary phrase;

'_Death Eaters are going to attack. We have five minutes, tops'_

Maple screeched again. A shout from outside drew Harry's attention to the street.

A small crowd was slowly assembling outside No. 4, Privet Drive. Some of them had angry expressions on their faces, some had expressions of curiosity; nearly all of them were covering their ears with their hands and wincing slightly. Harry immediately noticed a lone figure standing under the street lamp and looking into the house. Harry could tell the person had dark hair, but everything else was obscured by Aunt Petunia's rosebushes and the crowd. Something was off, Harry decided. Something was definitely demanding his attention, but Harry couldn't tell what. Before he could ponder it further-

"Harry!" Arthur yelled. Harry looked back to see Mr. Weasley holding a tea cup.

"Harry, I want you to listen carefully!" he said. He gestured to the cup he was holding. "This is a portkey! As soon as your relatives come down, I want you to grab it and get out of here!" he thrusted the cup into Harry's hand.

"Just point your wand and say '_Portus Activus'_! The portkey will take you to the hideout! Got it?"

"What about you?" Harry yelled.

Arthur shook his head. "The Death Eaters are going to attack any moment! They know that the wards have collapsed. John, Remus and I are going to hold them off till the rest of the Order can join us in a bit!"

"What?" Harry shouted back at him. "Are you crazy? Let me help! They're going to be too much for you! Let me even the numbers!"

Arthur shook his head. "We need you to get out of here!" he roared over the deafening noise. "We don't want you to get hurt! No buts, Harry!" he said as Harry opened his mouth to argue.

"But what about the muggles?" Harry bellowed. "What will you do about them?"

"We don't know yet! We'll obliviate them later!" was the answer he got.

Harry shut his mouth and looked up the stairs. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley scrambled down the stairs as fast as they could. Well, as fast as they could possibly go with four extremely large suitcases as well as Harry's trunk and Hedwig' cage.

When the Dursley's had joined Harry and Arthur at the stairs, all with shocked and scared expressions, Arthur waved his wand at the luggage behind them. They vanished immediately. He gestured to Harry to hold out the cup.

"Grab the cup if you want to live!" Arthur yelled at the Dursleys.

"What?" Vernon bellowed. "Have you gone completely bonkers? And what the bloody hell is that infernal racket?"

"Shut the hell up and grab it!" Arthur cut him off. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley did so and grabbed the tiny tea cup by the edge.

"Activate the portkey Harry!" Arthur shouted. The door banged open and John walked inside.

"Arthur, we need to hurry!" he yelled over the siren. "The wards have completely vanished into thin air! We need you to help us to subdue the muggles! They could attack any second now!"

"Coming!" Arthur rushed past Harry. He turned when he reached the door and looked at Harry.

"The portkey Harry!" he shouted once and then he was gone.

Harry turned to look at his relatives. They were looking completely horrified. Harry didn't allow himself to fell pity for them, instead he took out his wand and pointed it at the tea cup.

"_Portus Activus!_" he muttered.

The tea cup glowed a bright blue. Harry watched the glow become brighter. He could tell that any second, he would be whisked away from Privet Drive. But something still troubled Harry. The person under the street lamp. Something wasn't right.

"Its like those bloody parties they like to hold down the street; so bloody loud, they are!" Vernon muttered.

It hit Harry with the speed of a bullet. Just as he felt the familiar tug of the portkey, Harry snatched his hand away from the cup. He watched the portkey and his relatives disappear with a pop, and then grabbed his wand and ran out the front door. There was only one thought flying through his mind.

_Jan._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry ran out of the house with his wand outstretched. He looked around frantically, trying to find any sign of January. He caught a glimpse of a girl with brown hair, clad in a robe, slowly edging her way around the back of No. 4 Privet Drive.

"Jan!" Harry shouted, trying to make his way to her through the thick crowd slowly assembling outside the house.

Arthur, John and Remus were trying to get the residents of Privet Drive to move away, and were meeting with little success. Every second, it seemed the crowd grew thicker, with more angry neighbours joining the fray, trying to find the reason for the loud interruption.

Harry ducked as he saw John look in his direction. He was surprised they hadn't seen him rush out of the house. But then, they were a bit preoccupied, he thought as he saw Arthur wince as an old lady hit him on his head with her umbrella.

Harry kept his wand at ready and crawled through Petunia's rose bushes to enter the small garden at the back.

The sound of the siren had lessened, probably because of the few trees surrounding the house. Harry slowly walked into the opening, clutching his wand tightly.

He couldn't see Jan anywhere.

"Damn!" he cursed. "Where has that girl gone?"

He walked further into the garden and looked around more carefully. He heard a small noise behind him and turned quickly-

"Oof!"

Harry fell on the soft dirt. His wand was knocked out of his hand.

"Harry?"

"Jan?!" he exclaimed looking up.

And there she was, wearing a bath robe over her night clothes, holding a broomstick.

"Oh my God! Harry! I'm so sorry, I thought you were the burglar!" she said as she helped him up.

"What burglar?!" he asked her incredulously.

Jan shrugged. "Well, your security system went off, so I thought you must have been robbed or something. And then I saw you creeping around…"

Harry stared at her.

"Why were you here in the first place?" Harry asked, brushing some of the dirt off of him.

"I saw this cat…and it seemed like it was in pain." Jan said shrugging again. "So I followed it out here."

"A c-cat." Harry said slowly. He looked down at Jan's feet.

Yep. There was Maple. Sitting proudly and licking her paws in content.

He remembered the Death Eaters.

"Right, uh, Jan." he said. "We need to get out of here."

"What, why?" Jan's dark eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Because-"Harry tried to think of a plausible excuse. "Because the police is going to come any second to inspect the house, you know, because the alarm went off. So you want to get out of here and let them do their jobs, right?" he said quickly.

"Oh, yeah." Jan smiled. Harry thanked god silently for making January a bit gullible.

"Let's go then." And Harry grabbed her hand and walked her out of the garden quickly. Maple followed, staying close to Jan's heels.

I need to get her to her house, he thought hurriedly as they exited the bushes, and were met with the loud siren in the air.

'She'll be safe there. I just need to-'

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as suddenly the ringing stopped.

For a few seconds everything was silent. The angry mob looked at each other in confusion. Then suddenly-

Several loud cracks pierced the air. Huge balls of fire seemed to shoot of nothingness and surround the perimeter of No. 4, Privet Drive.

The entire house was engulfed by blue flames reaching high up to the sky. The people in the crowd screamed in terror as several men wearing cloaks and masks walked apparently through the fire.

Harry stood dumbstruck, gripping Jan's hand tightly.

The Death Eaters were here.

And he had forgotten his wand back in the garden.

**AN: lemme know if you likey!! :- ) ya…and then review or else…**


	13. Summer: Discovery and Escape Part 1

Summer: Discovery and Escape (Part 1)

Harry stood frozen in his position, holding January by the hand as he saw the Death Eaters surround the crowd outside No. 4, Privet Drive and start shooting curses.

"Get him! Potter's here somewhere! Get rid of the muggles!" one of the masked men roared. "_Avada Kedavra!"_ he cried pointing his wand towards a short fat balding man, who was unfortunate enough to be standing near the edge of the crowd.

"_Protego!" _yelled a voice which Harry recognised as Remus's. Harry watched in horror as Remus took a curse right in the middle of his chest and collapsed on the ground.

The muggles started screaming as the Death Eaters surrounded the crowd and started shooting curses in every possible direction.

January, who had been completely silent when she saw the fire around her, screamed as she saw people being lifted off the ground and flung into the fire.

Harry gained control of himself and grabbed January and covered her mouth with his hand. They weren't completely out on the open street yet, and were hidden from the Death Eaters by a few trees.

January struggled against him with tears in her wide eyes as she saw a little girl get thrown against the picket fence surrounding No. 4 Privet Drive. Harry didn't release her; instead he dragged her back through the bushes.

"Listen to-_Listen to me!_" Harry whispered urgently to January, holding her tighter as she struggled harder.

"Those people-!" she managed to get out.

"I know, but-"

January let out a dry sob.

"Jan, those people out there are here to kill. You do not make yourself noticeable in any way, got it? _They will kill you. Do you understand?_" he watched the shock in her eyes subside, only to be replaced with cold, stark terror.

He slowly withdrew his hand and looked through the leaves of the bushes for any sign of the Death Eaters.

"But who are they?" she whispered. "And how could they-?"

"I know you have questions." Harry answered. "I'll tell you later." He was looking furiously for any sign of the Order. Weren't they supposed to be here by now?

"You _know _who they are?" she whispered, with an edge of hysteria creeping into her tone.

He could see more muggles being thrown into the fire, and Arthur and John fighting with all they had. Remus lay motionless on the ground, along with many other bodies.

_Where is the bloody Order? I'm no use without a wand!_ He thought angrily.

He looked at January. Her eyes were wide and he could still see some traces of fear in them, but other than that her face was smooth, calm. Her eyes were angry as she listened to the cries of the people beyond the bushes. It almost made her look cold, determined and ruthless.

Her expression gave Harry some strength. He came to a decision.

_This isn't bloody over yet. _

"January, listen to me very carefully."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry crept out of the bushes, and took one last glance at the small garden behind him, before walking out into the open street.

Most of the muggles were now gone. Some had been thrown into the fire and the rest were lying motionless on the street. The fire surrounding No. 4, Privet Drive raged on, silently reaching up to the sky with its fiery flames.

The Death Eaters were spread out over the street, and were shouting at each other. Their wands lay apparently forgotten in their hands.

"He's got to be here!" A Death Eater standing next to Remus's unmoving body shouted. He pointed accusingly at the house.

"Did anyone check the muggle's hole?"

"We've checked everywhere, Macnair!" another shouted back from across the road. "All the houses are empty!"

"Do you have any idea what the Dark Lord will _do to us?!_" Macnair screeched in wild abandon.

"My head is on the chopping block for this one! Malfoy said that the boy would be here!"

_Malfoy_, Harry thought grimly as he moved closer to Macnair. No one had noticed him yet.

Macnair started shooting curses into the sky in anger. Harry positioned himself behind Macnair, and tugged the invisibility cloak covering him for reassurance. He looked up towards the sky.

He could just make out Hedwig and her boyfriend flying away. Hedwig was clutching a letter in her sharp talons.

_Right. Time to kick some Death Eater ass._

Harry grinned as he pointed his wand behind him and whispered "_Accio stone!"_

He ducked to the ground as a one of the stones which had bordered Aunt Petunia's flower bed came hurtling over the fence. Harry pointed his wand towards Macnair's head. The large stone went hit the Death Eater right on his head.

Macnair crumbled to the ground immediately and lay still; Harry could see the blood slowly seeping out of his head onto the street.

"What the-!" one of the Death Eaters yelled. Harry didn't wait but quickly summoned more stones from behind the fence and lugged them towards two Death Eaters standing about ten feet away from him.

"_Accio stones! Accio stones!_" he muttered quietly. He knocked out three more Death Eaters and turned his attention to the remaining five standing in the middle of the street.

"It's him! Start shooting curses over there!" one of the Death Eaters shouted as he ducked for cover against the onslaught of stones. He pointed towards the general vicinity of Harry. He whipped out his wand and shouted "_Incendio!_"

The red light shot out from his wand and raced towards Harry. Harry ducked just in time. The curse went over his head and hit the wall of No. 4 behind him.

_Move! Now! _Harry thought wildly as the wall of No. 4 erupted in angry red flames.

Harry quickly crawled towards Macnair and took the wand which lay beside his motionless hand. He slipped it into his jacket pocket and dove for cover as another curse passed dangerously close to his head.

"Leave Macnair and Nott where they are!" someone shouted. Harry saw one of the Death Eaters running towards the house while the others went around the back.

"Surround the house completely! Make sure he can't escape!"

_Shit! January!_

Harry cursed inwardly as he saw two Death Eaters venture into the bushes shielding the back garden from the road, with their wands outstretched.

Harry didn't waste anymore time; he drew Macnair's wand and stood up and rushed into No. 4, only pausing to shove the Death Eater poised in front of it into the bushes.

He pulled open the front door and shut it behind him as he stepped into the hallway.

"_Colloportus!"_ he muttered hurriedly, effectively sealing the door behind him. He nearly had a heart attack when he heard loud screams coming from the kitchen.

He ran through the hallway taking his cloak off in the process and taking out both his and Macnair's wand. He kicked open the door to the kitchen and stopped dead.

Because there on the floor instead of finding the dead from of January as he had imagined he saw the two Death Eaters he had seen walk into the bushes leading to the back of the house.

On the floor. Unconscious.

_What the bloody-_

Harry thought as he cautiously walked into the room, gripping the two wands in his right hand with all his might. He heard a small sound to his left-

_Oomph!_

Harry fell on the kitchen floor for the second time that night with a throbbing head.

"Oh shit!" January said. Harry looked up and blearily opened his eyes and tried to see through the stars. He saw January leaning over him holding what seemed to be a…bent saucepan.

"Sorry! I thought you were one of the bad guys." January whispered as she helped Harry to his feet. Harry waved his hand dismissively and tried to pass off the pain.

"It doesn't really hurt that much…" he muttered as he eyed the saucepan in Jan's hand wearily.

_Ow. She's strong…what the hell does she eat?_

"Are you okay?" he asked as he looked January up and down. She seemed to be alright. Her hair was a bit messy but he rather like it that way…brought out the softness of her face…

_Focus on the situation! You can eye her up later!_

January looked at him with an odd expression. "Am _I_ okay? I just hit you with a saucepan, remember?"

"Never mind about that, what happened to them?" Harry asked as he gestured towards the unconscious Death Eaters.

"Oh, yeah!" she said as she looked at the fallen wizards. "They came into the kitchen and started shouting stuff in Latin so I hit them." She smiled at him proudly.

_Uh…what?_

"What d'you mean, 'you hit them'?" Harry asked her slowly as he turned to look at her.

"Uh…I took the saucepan and I-"she started but Harry cut her off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean but…they just _let _you?" he asked astonished.

"Well, they just had those short sticks with them and I had a saucepan, so I sort of had the advantage, Harry."

January looked at Harry with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You're not making any sense…"

_I'm not making any sense?! What the bloody hell is this girl talking about?_

Harry walked over to the Death Eaters and prodded each of them in turn with his foot. They truly seemed to be unconscious.

"But… didn't their curses hurt you?" Harry asked as he turned to look back at Jan.

"Curses?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, didn't the light coming out of their wands hurt you?"

"What light?"

Harry stared at her. "Um, the light?"

"Well, they did seem surprised when they started shouting stuff and nothing seemed to be happening…" January said uncertainly. "They kept waving their little sticks."

It had been nagging Harry for the past few seconds as the only plausible explanation for January being alive, but he had rejected it as impossible. But could it be that-

"January, "Harry choked out. "Do you remember what they said? What they shouted?"

January looked at him in confusion. "I don't see how it matters, but they said stuff like _Abracadabra _or something; I don't really remember. Why is it important?"

Harry nearly choked on his own spit. "Was it _Avada Kedavra_?"

January answered looking a bit surprised; "Yeah it could be, I guess. I didn't really hear. I just knocked them out before they could say much."

Realisation sunk in.

_Oh. My. Effing god!_

**AN: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkk!!! Yay me!! Here's the new chappie and I'm updating soon because I've got holidays now. (only for a week, but still!!) so please tell me how this chapter is…and btw it was my birthday on the 24****th**** and I did pretty well in my exams so I THINK that warrants a few reviews, right??? I thought so too!!! Bie for now!!**


	14. Summer: Discovery and Escape Part 2

Summer: Discovery and Escape Part 2 (Teaser)

_You've got to be joking. She's one of the immune muggles?!?!_

Harry started to hyperventilate. He somehow found a chair to sit on and collapsed on it.

"Harry!" Jan cried in alarm. "Seriously! What's wrong with you?"

Harry just stared at her as if looking at her for the first time. What happened next was something he couldn't have predicted even after three years of Divination. Not that he had expected to be able to do anything with that subject.

January walked up to him and slapped him right across his face.

"What the-Jan! _Ow!_" Harry cried as he clutched his stinging cheek with his hand. "Why do you keep hitting me?!?!"

"Because you deserve it!" she snapped back. She bent down to Harry's eye level.

"Okay, Harry." January said calmly. "I think I have been extremely cooperative up till now given the fact that you're obviously not an ordinary guy. You know, with the weird guys in cloaks after you and the fact that for some strange reason, you have an owl that seems to understand English. And not to mention that these guys pretty much massacred the people outside."

Harry swallowed and went red as January stared down at him. For some reason, the bath robe she was wearing over her night clothes made her look a bit more intimidating, if that was possible.

"But Harry," she said with a tone of finality in her voice, " if you don't tell me what the _hell is happening over here, I swear to god I will find every saucepan in this blasted kitchen and beat it out of you!_"

"Alright! I'm telling you!" Harry yelled as he saw January's hand itch towards the bent saucepan she had set down on the dining table during her rant.

January sat down in the chair across his and folded her arms and crossed her legs. She looked at Harry expectantly.

"Okay, how do I start?" Harry wondered out loud. "January, well, the truth is that, um, I'm a wi-"

The kitchen door swung open and Harry immediately jumped to his feet with his wand stretched out. January grabbed her saucepan and held it at the ready.

Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall strode into the kitchen and took in the scene before them. Harry lowered his wand in relief.

"It's alright Jan, I know them." Harry told her. She reluctantly lowered the saucepan.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall began in her crisp tone. "Would you care to explain the carnage outside?"

"More importantly, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said with a slight frown. "I think I would love to know how I received this letter."

He held out a letter to Harry, which Harry took and opened.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Harry would like me to tell you that the Death Eaters have attacked No. 4 Privet Drive and are currently massacring the residents of Privet Drive._

_He wants to tell you that they have managed to set up wards around No. 4, which prevent anyone from coming in or escaping. Harry thinks that you could probably use Creature or Maple to enter the wards._

_And he told me to tell you that I was a muggle? If you know what that means._

_Please come soon, these Death Eaters are really hurting the people outside._

_January Singh._

"Hey, that's my letter!" January exclaimed. She turned to stare at Dumbledore. "Are you the Dumbledore I wrote to?"

She took in his appearance; from his deep purple robes decorated with silver and gold stars to his long white beard which touched his knees.

Dumbledore took a bow and answered with twinkling eyes;"Indeed I am, and you would be Ms. Singh I presume?"

"Um, yes, sir." Harry replied. "You see, the Death Eaters were really hurting the muggles outside so I just got Jan out of their way and told her how to send you a message. I got her to get me my invisibility cloak and then I went after them."

"Yeah, even though I have absolutely no idea what a muggle is." January snapped. "Or a Death Eater, or an invisibility cloak! Do you mind telling me what's going on over here?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall briskly. "We are wizards and we can control magic. Is that clear enough for you, Ms Singh?"

January didn't blink. "It is, thank you." She replied in the same tone.

"Would you care to explain why your people have graced us poor commoners this fine summer night?"

Harry blinked. This was the first time he had seen someone be so blatantly rude to McGonagall. McGonagall seemed equally taken aback. January simply glared at her.

Dumbledore's frown grew deeper as he moved closer to the two unconscious Death Eaters and bent down to observe them.

"You're really a wizard?" January whispered to Harry.

"Yeah, I am." Harry whispered back. He watched her face carefully for her reaction. She didn't appear impressed.

"Aren't you scared?" Harry asked her.

"Of what?" January whispered back. "Wizards who just scream stuff in Latin instead doing magic?"

Harry grinned.

"There are no traces of magic on them." Dumbledore stated as he bent down to observe one of the Death Eaters. He removed their masks.

"Dolohov and Nott, I see. They were attacked by brute force."

"They were attacked by a crazy woman with a saucepan." Harry muttered to himself. January nudged him.

"Harry, I can imagine how you managed to overcome the Death Eaters outside using magic," Dumbledore said, as he stood up and surveyed the rest of the room. His eyes rested upon the saucepan in January's hand. "but I must admit, I am a little confused as to how these two individuals-"

"Got knocked down?" January suggested. "That would be because I hit them."

"You hit them?" Dumbledore asked her. "I beg your pardon?"

January turned to Harry and sighed. "Why does everyone get so surprised over that? It's not the toughest thing in the world."

'Uh, Professor." Harry began, thinking it was best that he proved his theory rather than just say it out loud first.

"I was wondering if it was possible for you to maybe…create some water?"

"Mr. Potter, are you quite alright?" Professor McGonagall said. "I don't think that's really relevant in this situation."

"Professor?" Harry urged Dumbledore.

Dumbledore drew his wand and pointed it at a clear spot on the kitchen floor. Nothing happened. Dumbledore frowned and waved his wand.

He frowned again and shook his wand for the second time and stated in a clear voice; "_Aguamenti!"_

The floor remained dry.

"Um, could someone explain to me what these little sticks are?" January muttered. "They don't seem to do anything and yet everyone seems to carry one around."

"These 'sticks' are wands, Ms Singh." Dumbledore said still frowning at the floor. "And till this moment, mine has worked perfectly well for the last eighty years. Something seems to be blocking my magic."

"Or some_one _sir?" Harry questioned. He tilted his head towards January.

"Or _maybe_, it's just really old!" January whispered.

"Oho!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "So that's the reason, is it?"

"Albus?" Professor McGonagall said. "What are we to do with her? I could obliviate her?"

January shifted uneasily and gripped the saucepan tighter.

"I doubt you would succeed, Minerva." Dumbledore replied with a smile. "It would seem that Ms. Singh here is not only immune to our magic but manages to block it as well."

"I see," Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and looked at January with ill concealed dislike.

"What does that mean?" January asked, obviously confused. "I 'block' your magic?"

"It means that I can't do magic when you're around." Harry explained. "Magic is powerless against you."

"But how?" January asked. "What am I doing exactly?"

"It's a mystery as of now Ms. Singh." Said Professor Dumbledore as he opened the door to the garden and dragged the two Death Eaters out of the kitchen. With a flick of his wand, silver ropes shot out and bound the unconscious Death Eaters.

"Hmmm…seems that your power is only effective over a radius of ten feet or so." Dumbledore mused.

"Uh, sir?" Harry asked. "What happened to the other Death Eaters?"

"Thanks to your letter Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said as she walked into the garden and drew her wand to help Dumbledore levitate their prisoners out of the garden. "We got Kreacher and Maple to side along apparate us to Privet Drive."

"Us?" Harry asked as he followed her out gesturing to Jan to follow him.

McGonagall turned around to stare at him. "Surely, Mr Potter, you didn't think it was just the two of us? The rest of the Order is here trying to salvage what we can."

She turned and walked on.

The four (plus the two unconscious men) crossed the bushes and entered the open street.

The first thing Harry noticed was that the fire that had surrounded Privet Drive was now gone. Only angry red splotches on the street served as a reminder of the fire that had raged there.

Most of the muggles were somehow miraculously alive and Order members were tending to their wounds. Harry could see that some Ministry officials had arrived on the scene and were quietly obliviating the muggles after they were healed.

"How did they survive?" asked January. "They got thrown into the fire! I saw them!"

"It wasn't fire." Dumbledore replied from ahead. "It's an ingenious piece of magic, really. It's called _Cryofire_. Once a person is thrown into it, they remain there, alive, but unable to move or do anything. Quite a harrowing experience actually, for someone who hasn't seen anything like it."

"What about Professor Lupin and –"Harry asked as he suddenly remembered the three men who had come to his rescue.

"They're quite fine, I assure you." Dumbledore replied. "They're being tended to right now. Arthur was thrown into the fire and John was thrown into a picket fence. Remus was hit by a very powerful curse. He is unconscious right now, but I think in a few weeks he will be as good as new."

Harry nodded in relief and went back to surveying the scene before him. One entire wall of No. 4 was now gone. The fire had managed to burn most of that side of the house and quite a bit of the front garden as well. The Death Eaters were propped up against each other by the pavement, bound and gagged, their faces unmasked. Dumbledore and McGonagall directed their wands towards the pile of Death Eaters and their unconscious prisoners joined their comrades on the asphalt.

"Professor!" someone shouted. Harry turned to see Bill Weasley running up to them.

"Ah, yes!" Dumbledore smiled at Bill. "What have you discovered so far?"

"Well, I don't exactly know what exactly triggered the meltdown, but as far as I can tell it happened really fast." Bill panted. "And whatever triggered it happened from the inside. The Death Eaters had nothing to do with the wards collapsing. I mean they were trying of course, but they weren't even half way there."

"From the inside?" Dumbledore frowned. "How is that possible? Harry doesn't know nearly enough magic to even accidentally do something to the wards."

Bill shrugged. "Give me a few more hours; I'll have more to tell you then. You alright there, Harry?" he asked Harry. He looked curiously at January.

"Best day ever," Harry grinned at Bill wryly. Bill grinned back. "Well, I'll see you at the safe house later then." He said as he started walking away.

"Fair warning though; mum's figured out that you intentionally left the portkey before the Death Eaters arrived. So she's pretty angry at you right about now." He chuckled.

"Aah..." Harry winced. An angry Molly Weasley was never a good thing.

"Well, before we satisfy Molly by delivering you to her mercy," Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling. "I was wondering if Ms Singh would like to accompany us."

January started. "Um, excuse me?"

"We would love to have the opportunity to examine your powers, Ms Singh." Dumbledore said. "A power like yours is very rare and by no means inconsequential. For safety reasons we would like you to remain within our reach."

January's eyes narrowed slightly. "'Safety reasons'? Whose safety exactly?"

Harry heard a snort from behind. He turned around to find Mad Eye Moody shuffling awkwardly towards them.

"Doesn't miss a thing, does she?" said Mad Eye. He snorted again. "Hello Potter," he growled as he came to stand beside Harry. "That was a nice trick with the stones there." He nodded at him with approval. "You could have a career as an auror someday if you keep thinking like that."

"Alastor, " Dumbledore acknowledged his oldest friend with a smile. "Have you managed to get anything out of them?"

Mad Eye spat on the ground. Harry smirked on seeing January's expression of disgust.

"No," Mad Eye growled in reply. "Those buggers have clammed up. Give me a few hours with them; I'll get out some information. No need to worry there."

He turned to stare at January. She recoiled a bit as she saw his electric blue eye swivelling in every direction.

"Now this young lady," he said. "could have a career in magical law, I'm sure. She doesn't take you at face value does she, Dumbledore?"

"It's best that she doesn't." Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "With a power like hers, one can't afford to be too careful."

Mad Eye answered January's question with his usual grace.

"What he mean's missy," he growled at her. "Is that people in our world would kill to have your power. And we're out to stop that carnage, see?"

"For your own safety, Ms Singh, we would like to offer you refuge." Dumbledore said politely.

January's eyes narrowed again. 'Refuge? Where exactly?"

"The same place Harry is going to spend the rest of his summer, along with his school friends and members of the Order." Dumbledore replied. "Its one of the safest places in the whole of Britain."

January stared at Dumbledore for a few moments, then at Mad Eye, and finally at Harry.

"Jan, you saw what those people in masks did, just to get to me." Harry said quietly. He gestured to the crumbling wall of No. 4. "They'd be perfectly willing to do that if not more to find you."

January appeared to be in deep thought.

"Ms. Singh, I wouldn't suggest this unless I was sure that it was the only option." Dumbledore said gently.

She nodded slowly.

"Fine, I'll come. But," she said before anyone could say anything. "You have to tell me everything. And I mean _everything_. About Death Eaters and magic and-"

"Everything." Dumbledore agreed. "Perfectly reasonable."

January smiled slightly. "What about my family though?" she asked. "I'm not sure if they'll let me-"

Dumbledore interrupted her again. "We'll handle that. And you needn't worry about any harm coming to them. We'll set up enchantments to protect your entire family."

January nodded with relief.

"And now, I think we should test one parameter of your ability." Dumbledore said. He pulled out a rubber chicken from his robes.

January and Harry looked at him with confusion.

Dumbledore held out the chicken and gestured to January and Harry to touch it.

Harry felt the familiar tug in his navel and he saw the street around him disappear. He landed on his feet a few seconds later in familiar room.

He looked behind him to see January on the floor hurriedly patting her self all over as if to make sure she was all there. He held out his hand for her and pulled her up to her feet. They both turned to face Dumbledore who was standing in front of them.

"Welcome to No. 12, Gimmauld Place." He said gravely.

**AN: review??? Pwetty pweese????**


	15. Transition

Transition

Harry opened his eyes slowly and took in the dark room that was slowly being bathed by the first rays of dawn. He stretched in his bed and rolled out of it with a yawn. He put his hands to the floor and groped around for the shirt he had taken off before going to bed. He found it nestled neatly under his bed. He pulled it out and wore it, before getting up and walking slowly out of his room, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

He was no stranger to No. 12, Grimmauld Place, but the entire house had a foreign feel to it. It seemed odd to walk through the doorways knowing that its owner wasn't alive anymore to insult every corner of the house, usually filled with objects of dark magic.

After arriving in the late hours of the night, Professor Dumbledore had suggested that they go straight to bed and discuss things in the morning after a good night's sleep. Harry had done just that after showing January to the room she would be sharing with Ginny who had been sleeping at the time, and Hermione, once she arrived from China. Oh, and of course after enduring an ear splitting rant from Mrs. Weasley. His ears were still ringing.

For the time being, the house was inhabited by Harry, January, a large proportion of the Order of the Phoenix, including all the Weasleys, and the charming house elf, Kreacher. Maple had returned to her home with Mrs. Figg with a parting purr to Harry and Jan and a deafening screech directed towards Kreacher. They hadn't gotten along that well, apparently.

Kreacher had found it hard to express his delight at having Harry descend upon the house with his friend, and had promptly disappeared into the kitchen to whip up one of Harry's favourite treats; Treacle Tart.

Ha. Yeah, right.

The house elf's obvious lack of enthusiasm for Harry and anyone even remotely connected with him, bordered on hilarity. It wasn't enough to rudely shudder every time Harry addressed him, but he had to follow Harry around the house, hurriedly whipping out a rag and cleaning anything Harry touched, even if it was by accident.

January had been kind to Kreacher at first, despite her obvious revulsion at a creature who appeared so sickly malnourished and ill treated, and had even attempted to shake hands with him, to put them on an equal footing.

Kreacher had responded by jumping up and shrieking "Mudblood!" and promptly running out of the room, muttering swear words all the way. Harry had tried to tell January not to take it too personally.

Harry paused outside the bathroom door to yawn again. With a sigh he opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside. Hopefully January would be up in a little while, and maybe Harry could sit down and try to prepare her for living in a house like No. 12, Grimmauld Place.

**AN: wonder how that convo will go….:-P **


	16. Refuge:Discussions

**AN: I know that while writing this story I've left out some crucial scenes like how Jan and Harry became friends when they went off to get ice cream, and what exactly Harry told Jan to do when the Death eaters came and other stuff; but not to worry; I'll post those scenes at the end of the story or as a separate story later!! Enjoy the new chapter!**

**And thanx to all those who left reviews!!!**

Refuge: Discussion

"Ah, Harry dear, you're up!" Mrs. Weasley smiled at him as Harry walked into the kitchen, his hair still wet from his shower, the previous nights' anger temporarily forgotten.

The dining table was set buffet style; with the plates and cutlery piled on one ends and the food spread across the rest of it. Mrs. Weasley was standing in the centre of the kitchen with her wand outstretched, directing the pots full of food from the kitchen to the dining table.

She passed Harry a plate with fried eggs piled onto it and directed him to a chair.

"Don't wait for Ron or Ginny, dear." She said. "They'll probably take some time; it's only eight in the morning. I'm surprised you're up actually; you had a late night last night."

"Yeah, I know" Harry replied. "But I didn't really feel sleepy. How are Mr Weasley and John? I heard Remus was hit badly by the Death Eaters?"

Harry accepted the food with a grateful smile. He was starving after all the excitement of the previous night. He dug into his eggs with gusto while Mrs. Weasley pottered around the kitchen.

"Arthur is just fine. Poppy thought that it would be better if he was shifted to St. Mungo's for a while; but after what happened the last time with the stitches, I didn't want to let him out of my sight!" Mrs Weasley said crossly. Harry grinned into his eggs.

"We have Healer Pouncharelli from St Mungo's taking care of Arthur and John. He's upstairs right now, on his morning call actually." Mrs Weasley sighed and patted her hair. "_Such_ a handsome man."

Harry waited, embarrassed, as she gazed blissfully into space for a few moments, and then seemed to return to reality having realised she had an audience. She blushed and cleared her throat.

"John is fine; just needs some sleep." She continued with her narrative. "Remus will need a little work. Poppy's taking care of him at Hogwarts; but he should be fine in a few weeks."

"Hogwarts?" Harry asked. "Why not St. Mungo's if he's that hurt?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I don't suppose you would know, dear. Ron told me you stopped reading the Daily Prophet after last year. Magical creatures have been put under watch." She replied to Harry's questioning look.

"What?" Harry said incredulously. "What do you mean 'watch'?"

"It's a new initiative under taken by the Ministry of Magic; to keep track of all the dark creatures in Britain." She answered bitterly. She tapped the table irritably with her finger. "All creatures who have been victims of any form of harmful dark magic have to be reported to the Ministry of Magic. Then the ministry can keep track of the _so called_ dangerous ones while the real dangers; who are really humans, are out at large."

"It's ridiculous! When Remus got hurt in the battle last night we had to whisk him away the second we got there because we didn't want the Ministry officials to get a hold of him. They've passed a new law giving the Ministry the power to hold captive any dark creature found at a battle ground." Mrs Weasley snapped. "Poor Remus should be recuperating peacefully in St Mungo's but he's been hidden away in a corner of the Hospital Wing!"

Harry was bristling with anger. "Did Fudge pass the law? I thought he was being impeached!"

"No, strangely enough, it came from the Head Healer at St Mungo's, Healer Shrewsbury." Mrs Weasley said. "He presented the motion as a new policy at the annual Healer's Convention and he was supported by five of his colleagues. Dumbledore thinks they might have been placed under the Imperius Curse; because there's no other reason they would propose something like this so out of the blue."

"The Imperius curse?" Harry asked. "But why would Voldemort do that?"

"So he could keep an eye out for potential allies." Mrs Weasley replied. She gestured Harry to resume eating his breakfast, which was currently lying abandoned. Harry returned to his food.

"He's trying to build up his dark army. We've been trying to stop it. This policy has made it a bit difficult, because we're sure he's got spies at St. Mungo's and the Ministry and it would be so easy for him to whisk the creatures away. The Ministry picked up the policy and passed it as a law within a week. It was Fudge's last ditch attempt to save face in front of the wizarding world. He's been getting a lot of criticism for all his propaganda against Dumbledore."

"It's just what he deserves!" she said harshly. "He even tried to get him off the Chocolate Frog card! Can you believe it?" she asked Harry angrily.

"I'm just glad the Ministry doesn't know about the Immunes." She said.

"The what?"

"Oh, the Immunes. People like January and Timothy; we've taken to calling them Immunes. It's a blessing the Ministry doesn't know about them, other wise I'm sure they'd pass a law to capture them too." Mrs Weasley said.

"But wouldn't the Department of Mysteries know? And how does Voldemort know about them anyway?" Harry asked.

"Well, no one really know what goes on in the Department of Mysteries, do they now?" she replied. "I'm sure they're aware of what's happening but they're unwilling to take a stand on it without concrete proof. Fudge is big on proof these days," she said scathingly.

"What with all the scandals concerning him being published in the Daily Prophet every day, it's a wonder he's still alive to bear it considering the number of howlers he gets."

"You-Know-Who probably has his spies planted everywhere; that's how he knows,"

"Any way, Harry dear, I think you should tell January when she comes down that it would be very dangerous for her to step out of the house any more than she has to." Mrs Weasley said. "It's just not safe out there for her. We'd like to keep her power a secret for as long as possible."

Harry nodded his head vigorously, his mouth full of eggs.

"Those muggles don't feed you at all, do they?" she said crossly as she watched Harry imitate Ron at breakfast on a day he was feeling particularly hungry (well, that was pretty much every day, really).

Harry tried to shake his head and swallow at the same time. "Your food was my sole life line Mrs. Weasley!" he smiled at her.

Mrs. Weasley patted Harry on his cheek fondly before serving him some more eggs with bacon.

"I'm glad to be of some help, dear." She said. "I wish I could do more for you, to be honest. I just feel so angry at the thought of you tucked away with those horrible people!"

She moved across the kitchen and directed her wand to a large bread knife hanging on the wall, which promptly flew to a large loaf of bread on the kitchen counter and started cutting it into large slices.

"Well, thankfully, I managed to convince Dumbledore to house them somewhere else other than Grimmauld Place." She said as she placed a large pitcher of milk to join the pitchers of juice on the dining table.

"I told Dumbledore that if those 'people' were going to live here, then I couldn't be held responsible for my actions!" she muttered crossly.

Harry smiled at Mrs. Weasley again with a full mouth. Letting Mrs. Weasley loose on the Dursley's was a very appealing thought.

"Oh, and that was very smart of you dear, to send us that letter," Mrs Weasley added in a softer tone. "We were going crazy trying to figure out ways to get in there. We never even thought about Kreacher or Maple!"

Mrs. Weasley turned to look at him from the dining table and sighed.

"You're like Ron," she said with dejectedly. "Both of you eat like you haven't eaten properly in years! Ginny and Hermione are the only people around here who actually eat like sane people, you know."

"Yeah," Harry said swallowing some bacon. "I know." He smiled at her. It felt nice to be pampered by Mrs. Weasley. He took a few moments to look around the room. The last time he had been in here, he remembered, was Christmas of last year; when Mr. Weasley had been attacked in the Ministry of Magic.

His eyes fell upon a clock he recognised as the one which had previously resided at the Burrow. It had nine hands, each inscribed with the name of a Weasley. Every single one of its hands but one was pointing at _Mortal Peril_. Harry peered closer to see whose hand it was. He could just make out Ginny's smiling face on the hand which now pointing to _Sleeping_.

"It's been like that for a while now," said Mrs Weasley, trying to be casual but failing miserably. "Ever since You- Know-Who came back out into the open. But last night, the strangest thing happened." She paused confused.

"Ginny's hand just swung off _Mortal Peril_ and moved to Sleeping, a little while after you arrived actually."

"Probably because of January." Harry said. "Did Dumbledore tell you what she could do?" he asked her.

"Oh yes," she answered smiling. "It's extra ordinary. I think I'll be glad to have her around really. It will give some peace of mind to know that Death Eaters can't do anything to her."

"Timothy is a sweet boy too," she continued. "It's rather lucky we found him. It was just pure luck."

"Really?" Harry questioned her as he poured himself a glass of juice. "How did you find him? Dumbledore didn't really tell me."

"Well, I don't know the particulars of it," Mrs Weasley said slowly, absent mindedly pouring a glass for herself as well. "But Timothy ran away from home a few years ago when he was fifteen. He was living on the streets and wasn't doing too well. Hermione found him one day when she had gone shopping in Diagon Alley."

"He ran away?" Harry asked her. Timothy hadn't seemed the rebellious type; quite the opposite actually.

"Yes, I don't really know why. Have some bread dear, I made it fresh yesterday." She passed him a slice of bread and the butter dish. Harry started buttering the bread while Mrs Weasley went on.

"But Hermione convinced him to come home with her later, and she found out about his gift purely by accident. She tried a Repairing charm on one of Timothy's chipped shirt buttons when he wasn't looking, and of course it didn't work."

"Hermione did under age magic?" Harry asked astonished. "Was she feeling alright?"

Mrs Weasley chuckled at Harry's surprise. "It's alright dear; she didn't get into too much trouble over it. She was near the Leaky Cauldron when she cast the charm, and magical auras tend to mix near wizarding buildings. It's pretty hard to determine who cast which spell unless you try a _Priori Incatatem_ spell. Hermione knew about it, so she took advantage of it."

"Wow," Harry said slowly chewing his bread. "Where's Timothy now?"

"Oh, he's living here actually. You didn't see him last night because he had gone to meet Hermione and her parents. They came back from China last night. Hermione and Timothy will probably reach here around lunch time." Mrs Weasley replied.

She moved into the kitchen and waved her wand around the room. The room magically began cleaning itself up. The knives and spoons flew up and after washing themselves under the running kitchen tap, went to their homes on the wall. The eggs shells and bread crumbs flew off the kitchen counter and deposited them selves in the rubbish bin.

The pots and pans levitated off the kitchen stove and were slowly drifting towards the sink when they dropped suddenly on the ground with a resounding clash.

Mrs Weasley waved her wand frantically again but the vessels resolutely remained on the floor.

The door to the kitchen opened. Harry looked behind him and sighed. January was standing there looking sleepy and a bit embarrassed.

"Mrs Weasley?' Harry nodded towards the door way. Mrs Weasley looked at January and understood immediately. She shrugged and with a smile went and started picking up the pots and pans off the floor. Harry got of his seat and went to help her.

"Here, let me help." January said quietly as she rushed to join Mrs Weasley and Harry on the floor. Mrs Weasley waved both of them away.

"Go have breakfast, dear." She waved towards the dining table. "I daresay the exercise is good for me. And besides, you must be hungry after last night." She looked at Jan.

January mumbled an apology and she and Harry reluctantly left Mrs Weasley. Harry went back to his seat.

January followed her instructions and went to the table and poured herself some juice and turned to Harry.

"Where's that guy, Kreacher?" she asked sipping her juice slowly. "Isn't he your butler or something? Shouldn't he clean up stuff instead of Mrs Weasley?"

Harry shrugged and offered her some of his bread.

The door opened again. Ginny and Ron walked in, both rubbing their eyes and yawning.

"There you are!" Mrs Weasley said as she put the last pot in the sink. "What took you both so long?"

Ron mumbled something and punched Harry on his shoulder in greeting while Ginny waved sleepily. Harry smiled at both of them. January settled down next to Harry with some toast and eggs, and Ron and Ginny joined them a few minutes later with their breakfasts.

Mrs Weasley left the room soon after pouring milk and juice out for everyone, with the excuse of giving Mr Weasley and John their breakfasts. She walked out with two trays and happy smile on her face.

"Healer Poochy strikes again." Ron muttered as she exited the room. He dug into his toast with enthusiasm.

They had been eating silently for a while as the four were still sleepy, when Ron suddenly stopped munching his toast and stared at January.

"Uh…" he started brilliantly. "Who're you?"

January answered looking a bit amused. "Hi, I'm January."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "She's like Timothy, Ronniekins, she's going to be staying with us. Play nice, won't you?"

"But…" Ron continued with his eloquent speech. "You weren't here before."

"Well done, Ronald!" Ginny exclaimed. "Your powers of observation astound me!"

January laughed. "I came last night when everyone was sleeping. It's nice to meet you."

Ron stared at her for a few moments and then moved his gaze onto Harry. Harry went red and started munching on some toast. Ron's head swivelled back and forth between Harry and January, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh." He said finally. A small smirk emerged on his face as he saw Harry munch on his toast rather determinedly.

"I _see._" He grinned at Harry and went back to his breakfast.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ginny and Harry cleared up the plates after they were finished while Ron attacked January with a barrage of questions, trying to find out more about her power.

"So you _really_ block magic?" Ron asked insistently. "Like all kinds?"

"So I'm told." January replied dryly. "I hope that's the reason; otherwise I would have to assume that you people just like waving sticks around for the heck of it."

"So how do you do it? Do you know?" Ron asked her curiously, ignoring the small snub, his eyes wide for more information. Harry was strongly reminded of the first time he had met Mr Weasley at the Burrow in his second year; to be more specific, how Mr Weasley had insisted on knowing the function of a rubber duck.

"I have absolutely no idea." January said, obviously amused at the childlike wonder in Ron's eyes. "That's what I hope to find out, actually. That's why I am here."

"You're going to go mad living here." Ron told her cheerfully. "Nuttiest house on the planet, this is."

"I thought it was supposed to be the safest?" January asked him.

"Well," Ron shrugged. "You'll go crazy living here. But you'll be safe, so I guess it's a half empty- half full glass thing right?"

"Yeah," January said frowning slightly and leaning back in her chair. "The 'half empty- half full glass thing'. Totally."

"About the house," Harry started as he stowed away the clean plates in the cabinet with Ginny's help. He turned to look at January.

"I thought it would be a good idea if we could go over a few ground rules about living here."

January nodded. "Sure. Like the 'no food in bed' stuff?"

Harry grimaced as he thought about Mrs Black's portrait in the hallway. "_Slightly_ more complicated than that."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like, no touching anything that doesn't look like it's been cleaned in a million years." Ginny said, shutting the door of the cabinet behind her and walking over to sit with her. "There's probably a reason we left it alone."

"No touching anything dirty." January nodded. "Got it."

"And don't ask Kreacher to do anything for you." Ron said. "He'll pretend not to hear you."

"_Never_ talk to any of the paintings around here." Harry said vehemently, briefly recalling his first meeting with Sirius's mother. "_Ever_."

"Buy a good pair of ear plugs." Ginny said. Harry, Ron and January turned to look at her.

"Bill's room is next to ours" Ginny said shrugging. "He snores really loudly sometimes."

"Always walk quietly in the hallway leading to the kitchen."

"Whenever the Order is having a meeting in the kitchen; chuck dung bombs at the door."

"If you ever find the Agrippa Chocolate Frog card; give it to me!"

"Never touch any of the stuff decorating the walls!"

"Don't listen to the portraits when they tell you that you've got ear fungus!"

"Look at Timothy's butt when he walks by!"

Harry and Ron stopped and stared at Ginny.

"What?" Ginny said defensively. "He's hot!"

"Ginny, please." Ron said closing his eyes. His face turned a little green. "You're my little sister; I still like to think that you've never been kissed by a boy."

"Moving on…" Harry said. Ron suddenly opened his eyes and smirked. He looked at January slyly.

"Jan, would you do me a favour?" Ron asked putting on his best puppy dog expression; the one he used to get Hermione to let him copy her homework. It didn't seem to work on January, as successfully as it did on Hermione.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and answered slowly; "As long as it's not life-threatening."

Ron immediately grabbed her by the hand and rushed her out of the kitchen.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other for a moment, and simultaneously ran out of the kitchen following them into the hallway; to see January and Ron rush up the stairs.

"Do you have _any _idea what he's going to make her do?" Harry asked Ginny desperately, moving towards the stairs.

Ginny replied in a baffled tone; "I have no idea, Harry."

They reached the stairs. Harry and Ginny looked at each other with helplessness.

A heavy thump sounded from the floor above them. Harry and Ginny didn't waste any more time and ran up the stairs to the first floor.

Harry reached the landing before Ginny. Ginny reached him a few seconds later and stopped, confused at what she saw.

Ron and January were crouching behind the linen cabinet which was a few feet away from the bathroom. Bill Weasley, clad in only a white towel, was opening the door to the bathroom.

"What's going-" Harry asked. Ron and January gestured at him wildly to shut his mouth; Ron made wide sweeping motions with his hand across his neck and shook his head.

Bill turned around to face Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, hey there, Harry!" Bill greeted him. "Just off for a morning shower." He pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside. "Today's breakfast all right, Ginny?" he called from inside before slamming the door shut.

"Yeah," Ginny called in reply. "Delicious." She frowned at Ron who was gesticulating wildly.

Ron put his fingers to his lips and with wide eyes; he got up from behind the cabinet and walked over to Harry and Ginny, with January following behind.

"I hope this works." January told Ron as they reached the stairs.

"Hope what works exactly?" Harry asked in irritation.

"Ron, what's going on?" Ginny asked him. "What have you done?"

Ron smirked evilly; incidentally the same smirk he got every time he remembered Malfoy as a ferret. "You just wait!" he said happily. "It's going to be wicked!"

"Let's go down, shall we?" January said calmly. "Apparently Bill takes a long pee and a shave before he has a bath."

She walked past Harry and Ginny and started her journey down the stairs.

"And that matters _how?_" Harry asked, suddenly feeling that the conversation had suddenly lost all sense.

"You'll see!" Ron said with a wide smirk on his face. "Just wait for a bit."

Ginny looked at Ron quizzically. "Is this your revenge?"

Ron nodded happily.

"What revenge?" Harry said in confusion as they started walking down the stairs.

"Bill and Ron are having a prank war." Ginny explained. "Bill put earwigs in his milk a few days ago. Ron's been sulking around the house for a good prank since then."

"And I found one!" Ron practically squealed in delight. "A bloody amazing one! And thanks to January, I managed to pull it off!"

They reached the foot of the stairs, where January was waiting for them. Ron put his arm out in front of Harry and Ginny like a barrier and gestured to them to listen. For a few seconds everything was silent…and then…

"FILTH! SCUM! HALF-BREEDS, MUTANTS, FREAKS, BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE! HOW DARE YOU BEFOUL THE HOUSE OF MY NOBLE ANCESTORS-"

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL-!"

"BLOOD TRAITORS!-"

"RON! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Ron started roaring with laughter and soon Harry, Ginny and January joined in. wordlessly, with tears of mirth running down his cheeks, Ron stumbled into the kitchen, with the other three following. The shrieks continued.

"What-What did-?" Harry asked gasping, trying to catch his breath.

"I put Mrs Blacks' portrait in the shower!" Ron bellowed and dissolved into another round of laughter.

"What? How?" Ginny cried.

"January took it off the hook and I lugged it upstairs!" Ron replied in between snorts. "The permanent sticking charm doesn't work around her, remember?"

A door slammed above drowning out Mrs Black's shrieks of anger. Heavy footsteps sounded from outside and Ron promptly dove behind the kitchen counter.

The door to the kitchen burst open and an extremely furious Bill Weasley emerged, still clad in a white towel.

"Ron!" he bellowed, his face a deep red with rage. "Where's that boy?"

"Now, Now dear," Said Mrs Weasley soothingly, as she entered the kitchen behind him. "What's the matter?" She set down the trays she was carrying on the table.

"That _bloody portrait_," snarled Bill, making a wild gesture with his hands to indicate the size, and then hastily clutching his slipping towel. "That _bloody portrait_, that's what the matter is."

"What are you talking about, Bill?" His mother asked smiling absently.

"That bloody _boy's_ gone and put the _bleeding_ portrait in the _sodding_ bath," roared Bill, making things quite clear.

"Language, dear, language!" Mrs Weasley chastised automatically. "Ginny's in the room."

She started putting the empty plates into the sink. "I do wish you'd put on some clothes; you'll catch a chill like that."

"Mum," Bill said emphatically, "Ron put the portrait in the _shower_. When I was going to take a _bath_."

"Alright, dear. I heard you." Mrs Weasley said calmly. "Why don't you go to the other bathroom and I'll get Ron to move the painting later, hmm?"

Bill, Harry, and Ginny stared open mouthed at her.

"Uh, Mum?" Ginny said cautiously. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, dear, why?" Mrs Weasley asked as she smiled at her. "Oh, and why don't you take some eggs up to your father's room? Dr. Pouncharelli is upstairs checking on your father and John."

Realization seemed to dawn on Ginny's face and she smirked.

Ginny went to the table and grabbed a plate. Harry chuckled at Bill's dumbstruck expression.

"Now, for heaven's sake; don't just stand there, Bill!" Mrs Weasley said impatiently. "You'll catch a cold. Go put something on!"

"But-"Bill started angrily.

"Bill!"

"Okay, fine!" Bill said sulkily. He narrowed his eyes at Ginny and Harry. "You can tell _him_; that this means war."

He nodded at January in greeting and gripped his towel tightly around him and walked out of the room, with his head held high.

"Mum!" Ginny cried with a smirk. "I think I hear Healer Poo- I mean Pouncharelli calling for you!"

"Oh!" Mrs Weasley said flustered. "He probably wants some breakfast; give the plate Ginny!"

She took the plate and rushed out.

Ron stood up from behind the counter once Bill had stomped up the stairs and his mother was safely out of the room. He raised his arms in victory. "Bring it on!" he called. "The era of Ron is here!" he bellowed.

"Is he always like this?" January asked Harry.

"It seems to get worse with puberty in the other Weasley men," Ginny observed. "But we don't have to worry about it right now; Ron is still a few decades away from that."

Ron then ventured to express his feelings through a rude hand gesture.

"See!" Ginny said triumphantly.

"Shut your mouth!" Ron told Ginny.

"Me! What about-"

And they were off.

January moved closer to Harry. "Is it always like this over here?" she whispered. Her cool breath made the back of Harry's neck tingle.

Harry looked down into her eyes and smiled.

"Pretty much." He replied. "I can't wait for you to meet Hermione, and Fred and George-and Tonks! You're going to love it here." He promised.

January linked her arm through Harry's.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, looking right back into Harry's eyes. "Even though I barely know you, I feel like I can trust you. I mean," she laughed. "Technically, we've only known each other for a day!"

"Yeah," Harry answered. "I feel the same way about you." He turned red and looked down at the ground.

January squeezed his arm and smiled at him.

"Good for us, then." She whispered.

**AN: Yes. Yes I know I said that I had holidays and I would update soon. And I didn't. And I'm soooooooo soooooorrryyy!!!!!**

**Frankly, I just wasn't that happy with this chapter, and I wanted to work a bit on it till I was satisfied. I'm still not actually. And I'm sure some of you would have noticed how weird it is at parts; or maybe that's just me.**

**But I hope you still enjoyed it…and again, I'm sorry. :( **


	17. Refuge:KaAnae

Refuge: Ka-Anae

"So…" Ron panted as he attempted to squeeze his mattress through the bedroom door. Harry lugged the mattress from the other side.

Somehow, in the process of moving Harry's things into the room Ron and Timothy had been sharing, things had gone drastically wrong. Ron and Harry were engaged in the Herculean task of getting the mattress through the door; which had gone and wedged itself between the door frames.

"What's going on-" Ron threw himself at the mattress with all his might, eliciting a loud groan from the door frames, and Harry, who had felt the force of his shove in his lower pelvis.

"Shit! Sorry!" Ron apologised quickly, seeing Harry's face go red with agony. Harry collapsed on the ground wheezing.

Ron scrambled into the room through the narrow opening between the side of the mattress and the door frame. He bent down next to Harry and peered into his face.

"You need some ice there, mate?" he said worriedly. Harry shook his head slowly as the pain subsided.

"No-its okay- I'm fine." Harry panted. "What were you saying before?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ron settled down beside Harry on the floor. He looked at him with a grin on his face. "So, what's going between you and January?"

"What?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Oh, please!" Ron scoffed. "It's so obvious! You like her!"

"Yeah, I do, maybe." Harry said sheepishly. "Is it that obvious? Do you think she knows?" he asked Ron worriedly.

Ron shook his head the way a father shakes his head when a child says something particularly far-fetched. "Harry, my boy, she's clueless." He said wisely.

"Really, you think so? I'm not coming on too strong, am I?" Harry asked.

"You're not coming on at all!" Ron exclaimed. "You're so bloody sweet around her, it's disgusting. I mean, if Malfoy saw you-"

"Alright, I get it!" Harry interrupted. "But what do you think about her?"

"She's one of those girls." Ron said to elaborate.

"One of which girls?"

"You know the types who turn out to be completely gorgeous but don't know it." Ron said helpfully. "They just can't imagine why anyone would like them that way, 'cause they're too blind to notice that guys look at them all the time. I mean," Ron said hastily seeing the look on Harry's face.

"Don't get me wrong, mate, I like her as a friend, she's not my type. I think you two would go great together!" Ron said nervously. "Please don't narrow your eyes; you're scaring me, Harry."

Harry relaxed and grinned at Ron. "She _is_ pretty amazing." He said happily.

"Exactly!" Ron nodded quickly. "You might want to keep her away from Timothy, though."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Hermione said he's a bit of a ladies' man." Ron said darkly. "You should have seen him with Ginny- stupid pillock-" Ron muttered.

"Really?" Harry said doubtfully. "He doesn't really seem the type. More on the quiet side, isn't he?"

"Don't let it fool you." Ron warned. "I thought Hermione was barking when she told me. Wasn't until I saw him with his bloody paws around Ginny that I seriously thought about thumping him."

"But isn't he like older than us by a couple of years?" Harry said revolted. "Ginny's only fifteen; she's still a ki-"

"Don't say the K-word around her, mate!" Ron interrupted. "She may be fifteen but she's still got one heck of a Bat-Bogey's Hex on her!" Ron rubbed his nose slowly.

"Sometimes I still have nightmares about it…"

"Okaay…" Harry said slowly.

They heard someone walking past the room.

"Harry? Ron?" a familiar voice called out from the hallway. "Where are you guys?"

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron shouted together as they hurriedly scrambled off the floor.

With a load thud, the mattress in the door way fell back into the corridor revealing Hermione, who was standing with her hands on her hips, still dressed in muggle clothes.

Harry and Ron stopped and stared.

"What?" Hermione said smiling. Hermione's hair instead of its usual bushy brown, was now straight and …_black_. It was tied up in a knot at the base of her neck with two hair combs holding them up. A few wisps of hair hung next to her face.

"Does it really look that bad?" Hermione asked, self consciously touching the knot of hair. "I got it done when I was in China. It'll go back to normal in a few days."

"No…it's not that." Harry managed.

"Then what's the matter?"

"It's just…" Ron choked out. "It took us a long time to get the mattress in that far…and you just _ruined it!_" he wailed suddenly.

"Oh, for goodness sake's, Ron!" Hermione huffed. "I've just come back after a month long holiday from the Orient, and all you can think about is that stupid mattress!"

"Well, yeah!" Ron retorted. "Harry almost lost his ability to reproduce trying to get it to fit through the door!"

"Guys!" Harry shouted over their diatribes. Hermione and Ron turned to look at him.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Seriously? It hasn't even been ten minutes. Give it a rest till dinner time, okay?"

"Okay." Hermione said in a low voice. "But it doesn't look that bad does it?"

"Your hair looks very nice Hermione." Harry said solemnly. He turned to Ron and widened his eyes at him.

"Yes!" Ron said when he got the hint. "Absolutely stunning! Simply exquisite; the way it brings out the bone structure of the face! And the hair combs! Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen such craftsman ship. China's definitely the place to go for hair!" he stated flamboyantly.

Hermione and Harry stared at Ron in astonishment. Ron looked sheepish.

"Ginny left one of her copies of Witch Weekly lying around." He said shamefacedly.

Hermione shook her head. "I go away for one month and you turn into a complete whack job…" she muttered under her breath. "Mrs Weasley's calling us down for lunch. You can do the mattress later." She said aloud.

"Well, to the kitchen then, woman!" Ron smiled enthusiastically at the thought of food, and put his arm around Hermione and led her out of the bedroom, before she could protest against being called so demeaning a term. Harry followed behind grinning.

"So what's this I hear about Harry falling for someone?" Hermione said teasingly as they started their descent down the stairs.

Harry nearly choked on his own spit. "How does everyone know?" he wondered out loud helplessly. He ruffled his hair and frustration. "I haven't told anyone!"

"So it's true?" Hermione pounced on him. "Really?" she squealed and hugged Harry tightly.

Ron shook his head hopelessly as he saw Harry gasping for breath.

"Hermione, give him room to breathe!" he exclaimed. "The poor boy's choking!"

Hermione withdrew from Harry smiling widely.

"So?" Hermione questioned him eagerly.

"So what?" Harry replied.

"Tell me about her!" Hermione said impatiently.

"Why are you so enthusiastic about this?" Harry said suspiciously. "You weren't nearly as happy about me and Cho."

"That's because, Harry," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "Cho was a twit."

"How do you know January isn't one as well?" Ron interjected. Harry shot him a glare. Ron back pedalled.

"I mean, she hasn't met her yet has she?" Ron said cautiously. "January went to sleep a while after breakfast. She said she was tired after last night."

"Well, I saw her for a moment when I went to put my suitcase in Ginny's room." Hermione answered. "Her face was half hidden by the covers, but she's definitely much prettier than Cho." She said emphatically.

"And she's smart, by the sounds of it." She went on. "Graduated two years early. That's pretty amazing when you think about how tough Indian schools are in comparison to British ones. She must be a genius!"

"How do you know about that?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione waved her hand dismissively.

'Ginny told me. She and January talked a bit last night." She paused. "But, Harry is it really true?"

"Is what true?" Harry asked.

"You know, about her power."

"Yeah." Ron sighed happily, no doubt remembering his prank on Bill in the morning. Bill had later departed for work frustrated, after spending an hour looking for Ron, who had been hiding next to the one thing Bill would never go near ever again; Mrs Black's portrait in the bathroom.

"Bloody beautiful thing it is, Hermione." Ron said. "It's a pity you weren't here this morning-"

Harry interrupted but Ron kept talking.

"Yeah, she can block magic within a ten foot radius."

"You should have _seen_ the look on Bill's face-"

"Really, now, I find that simply _fascinating_ Harry! What did Professor Dumbledore say?"

"Well, he doesn't really know too much. He said he wants to find out more about it-"

"-poor bugger was still wearing that ridiculous white towel his girlfriend gave him-"

"Oh, Yes! Professor Dumbledore is testing Timothy too. He'll probably do the same to January-"What, he's going to chuck spells at her? It's not going to work-"  
"-stupid monogrammed towels! Who wears that these days? And that _Timothy_-"

"No, I suppose not. He'll probably give her potions to drink; see if latent magic has any effect-"

"I never thought of that. Do you think it's possible-"

"Bloody poof putting his arms around my sister! I mean, why doesn't he go bother someone else-?"

"Ron!" Hermione said irritably, but her mouth twitched a bit. "For the last time, Timothy was not making a pass at Ginny! She slipped on the kitchen floor and he caught her! That's it!"

"Seems a bit too convenient to me that the kitchen floor just happened to be wet the day Timothy arrives-" Ron grumbled. "Even Tonks has never slipped on that floor!"

"Still, he's not a paedophile!" Hermione said defending her cousin. "He's older than Ginny by a good six years! He's going to be twenty one next month!"

"You're the one who said he's a ladies man-"

"Yes! But with girls who are legal adults!"

"Where is he today anyway?" Harry interrupted.

"He's gone with Mom and Dad to meet his parents in London." Hermione replied still glaring at Ron. "He'll be here by dinner."

"Whoopee." Ron muttered under his breath.

A shout from below broke up the conversation.

"WIL YOU THREE STOP ARGUING AND COME DOWN FOR LUNCH?" Mrs Weasley bellowed up the stairs. "The food's getting cold! Ginny! January! Get down here please!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione immediately abandoned their conversation and descended the stairs and walked towards the kitchen in haste.

"Dr Poochy must have left." Ron muttered as they walked into the kitchen. "She always goes completely mental after that."

Harry muffled a grin. Hermione looked back and forth between her two friends, confused.

"Who's Dr Poochy?"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lunch was a talkative affair. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were present as many of the Order members were still engaged in the ongoing investigation at Privet Drive, and Mrs Weasley had gone upstairs shortly after serving all of them to give Mr Weasley his lunch. Since January hadn't come down for lunch, (Ginny informed the party that she had jet bag from the flight to England. "Jet _lag_." Hermione corrected patiently.), the conversation mainly revolved around her and the Immunes, once all the other mundane topics were exhausted.

"I think it's simply amazing how some people have this ability!" Hermione said happily. "Just think! Wizards will be forced to find new methods of using magic; ways that have never been researched before! This will inspire a new revolution!"

"Or the wizarding world will go mad." Harry said remembering the articles Dumbledore had shown him. "Just imagine what Voldemort would do to get his hands on that sort of power. He'd be invincible."

"They won't prosecute them." Ron shrugged. "They can't help being what they are."

"Please, fanatics like Malfoy would go mad trying to get their power before killing them." Harry retorted. "Look at the way they behave towards Muggle borns. You've seen what he's like with Hermione."

"That won't happen." Ginny said waving her hand. "Not many people know about the immunes. Even if You-Know-Who tries to find them, he's not going to be very successful. Even Dumbledore is having trouble finding them."

"And even if he does manage to find them, how is he going to get their power?" Ginny continued. "We don't even know where they've got it from."

"Don't you kids read the papers?" John said slowly limping into the room. Ginny sprung up immediately and helped him to a chair.

He certainly looked like he had seen better days. His blonde hair was messy and unkempt and his face had several bruises apart from a large cut which stretched from the side of his face to his chin. He wore a faded blue robe over his night clothes, and the bandages wrapping his chest were just visible under his night shirt. He slowly stumbled onto a chair and collapsed onto it with Ginny's help. He let out a groan as he stretched his back.

"What are you doing up John?" Ginny scolded. "Didn't Dr Poo- Pouncharelli advise bed rest?"

John shrugged sheepishly. "I was getting bored lying down and staring at the ceiling."

"I'm Hermione." Hermione held out her hand in greeting. John raised his which was also wrapped with bandages.

"Ah," he sighed with a slight smile. "Maybe some other time then, my dear. John Havenbury, an honour." He bowed his head. Hermione smiled at him.

"How are you feeling now?" Ginny asked as she sat down again. "We heard you got thrown into a fence?"

"Oh, my ribs are a bit bruised and it hurts to swallow food," John said dismissively. "But the painkillers work, and that's all that counts really!" he said cheerfully.

"What's wrong with you, mate?" Ron asked shaking his head. "You get thrown into a blasted fence, and you're still so bloody cheerful."

"Well, my mother always used to say that life's too short to spend it being angry at the world." John replied, reaching for some of the spaghetti piled onto to Ginny's plate. Ginny pushed her plate towards him saying she wasn't hungry anymore.

"What were you saying about the paper?" Ron asked with a mouthful of food. Hermione got a faintly disgusted expression on her face as she saw some of the food spill from his mouth onto the plate. She turned away looking a bit nauseous.

John looked a bit amused. He lifted up an old and crumpled copy of the Daily Prophet.

"It's an older issue, dated somewhat three months ago." He said in between chewing his food. "My god," he said in awe. "Your mother's a culinary genius!"

Hermione took the Daily Prophet and spread it out before her.

"Second page," John said to her. "Bottom right. Smallest article."

Hermione turned to the instructed page and ran her finger across the page, trying to locate the article.

"Three months ago," John said. "Two employees of the Department of Mysteries went missing. They were last seen apparating out of the Ministry of Magic for lunch on a Friday. They never returned."

"Why have you been looking at old copies of the Daily Prophet?" Ginny asked.

"Part of my assignment with the Order is to track the Immunes." John replied. "Track their movements and anyone else's who may be after them. It's pretty surprising to know how many people actually know about the Immunes. Reading the newspapers is one way to go about it. There's a lot of important stuff going on behind the really ordinary sounding crap, I'll give you that."

"Really?" Harry questioned thinking about Jan sleeping peacefully upstairs. "Aren't the Immunes a secret?"

"Word's out in some specific circles." John said. "You chaps know Mundungus Fletcher?"

They all nodded.

"Bloke was here last week." John said. "Confirmed what I already knew really in a way. There's a price tag out on Immunes."

"A 'price tag'?" Ron said. "What does that mean?"

"That from now on any person who is a known Immune will probably captured and tortured." John replied with a grimace. "Now that people know about their powers, they'll do anything to get it. Powerful people are willing to pay certain people to deliver an Immune to them. And those certain people can be very greedy."

"So what you're saying is that January is just like some priceless artefact in demand?" Harry said angrily.

"More like _the_ priceless artefact." John replied unfazed by Harry's tone.

"So why is the article important?" Harry asked, his anger simmering down a bit. Hermione passed the page to him after reading the article. She pointed it out to Harry on the page. Harry started reading the small article squeezed in between an advertisement for the new Cleansweep and a poster for Madam Malkin's.

_Department of Mysteries employees missing_

_-by Miranda Ostwald_

_Monday, March 5__th__: Two employees registered with the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic went missing last Friday. The two employees; Mr Adam Concus, (age 34) and Ms Giselda Hopkirk (age 26), were last seen apparating away from the Ministry lobby for lunch, they did not return._

_Their supervisor, Mr Cassius Cohen alerted MLES after Mr Concus and Ms Hopkirk failed to report for their daily briefing the next day. MLES as yet has no leads as to whether foul play is involved._

_Their families eagerly await their return._

"Because," John said swallowing and then wincing slightly and massaging his chest. Ginny thumped his back gently.

"These particular employees were working on a project known as Ka-Anae."

"'Ka-Anae'" Hermione blurted out. "Isn't that something to do with energy transfers?"

"Why don't you tell them about it?" John suggested. "I don't know too much about it myself except from the bare history about it available in the market."

Hermione cleared her throat in the fashion Harry had come to expect before Hermione embarked on what would predictably be a rather long lecture. Ron recognised it too, because he slumped in his chair.

"Ka-Anae was a science practised by the Egyptian wizards in the thirteenth and fourteenth century." Hermione started. "Ka-Anae was meant for Kings and important people in the society; rich merchants and traders, noted scholars and so on."

"What is it?" Ginny said impatiently.

Hermione looked affronted at being interrupted but answered Ginny's question.

"It transfers a person's soul to another body." Hermione said simply.

"Their soul?" Ron asked. "How can you transfer a soul?"

"The actual ritual is now unknown as it hasn't been practised in centuries, but wizards around the world have been trying to revive it for decades. Ever since Lord Carter uncovered Tutankhamen's tomb in the 1920's. "Hermione replied.

"They apparently found some magical artefacts which were hidden away by the magical members of the expedition. They were later identified as the actual tools used by Ka-Anae priests in the soul transfers, preserved by the priests and finally buried along with Tutankhamen."

"They entered the black market as they were labelled as dark objects by most of the ministries in the world. After that, no one knows where they went. Several black market antiquities dealers have claimed over the years to have pieces of the tools but its never been proved; because once the tools are broken, they lose their potency."

"When you say soul transfers-" Harry started.

"I mean just that." Hermione said. She stood up and lifted her fork of the table. "Simply speaking, if I was to take this fork and ram it up Ron's head right now, instantly killing him, his soul wouldn't be hurt at all."

"Which would be great but for the fork rammed up my nose." Ron said.

"A soul is intangible. It's not an appendage you can simply lift out of a person by cutting him into pieces." Hermione said.

Ron slowly swallowed his food and drank up all his water. "Hermione, please, I'm eating."

"The Ka-Anae priests discovered a way to transfer a person's soul (usually an influential person) into a dead body, so they could live longer." Hermione continued. "Once a person got old, or contracted a disease, if they had the importance, or rather if the Pharaoh thought they were important to their court, their soul was transferred to a chosen body."

"Then why did they stop doing Ka-Anae?" Ginny asked.

"Because the priests became greedy, and started demanding money and gifts in return for their services." Hermione replied. "The Pharaoh eventually abolished Ka-Anae as he thought Ka-Anae was making a mockery of the gods and their divine creations and the priests were sentenced to exile. Most thought that they took their instruments with them but Lord Carter's expedition uncovered a stunning 1300 tools, nearly all of them in good condition."

"And that is why these two employees are so important." John said after a short pause following Hermione's explanation. "We find out where they went, we'll probably find out a lot more about who's after the Immunes besides us and Voldemort."

"Voldemort would transfer the souls of the Immunes into the Inferi. Others would transfer it into themselves; try all sorts of perverted experiments with Ka-Anae. They could try putting two souls in the same body; see if the body gets both powers and then putting two souls in their own body along with their own. The list is endless." John paused.

"It would be chaos."

For a while, there was silence in the kitchen. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. John continued eating his spaghetti.

"Anyway," John said in between chewing. "I'm not really supposed to share more than the basics with you chaps. I just think its best that you kids know the bare basics of what's going on out there, so you won't do anything stupid."

Harry got the impression he was referring to the battle in the Department of Mysteries last year, when they had lost Sirius.

"Oh, and by the way, I heard what you did last night with the stones." John added approvingly. "Very smart move. You ever thought about going into the IDA?"

"The what?" Harry asked.

"The International Defence Academy. It's in Switzerland." John explained. "Much more advanced than the ministry run institutes you have here, and definitely a better career path."

"So you become an Auror at the end of it?" Ron asked.

"Not really." John shrugged. "You can work freelance; lend your services to various countries or magical institutions. Financially speaking, there's a lot more money in it. I mean, you can always join the Ministry if you want, but there are so many other opportunities out there for IDA graduates that one rarely bothers."

"Why haven't we heard about this before?" Hermione asked baffled.

John smiled grimly. "Britain has always had a bit of an insular and narrow minded approach when it comes to magical professions. They rather pour money into loss making national institutes which turn out below average products; most of the money is embezzled away by corrupt Ministry officials anyway, than admit that it would be better for parents to send their kids abroad for their higher education."

"How do you know all this?" Ron asked intrigued.

John shrugged again. "How do you not know all this? Haven't you ever wondered why you're not told more about other institutes for magic abroad?"

"But we have been exposed to them!" Hermione insisted. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament-"

"-is simply a competition with schools from two countries with which Britain has shared ideologies with for the past hundred and fifty years." John finished for her. "Did you seriously think that there are only _three_ schools in the _entirety of Europe_ which are really good? Seriously, _three_?"

Hermione fell silent as she absorbed what John had said.

"In other magical schools, it's sort of a tradition to get representatives from various educational institutes situated across the world to talk to their graduating students." John said. "The school wants to give their students a global perspective on the world. Politically speaking, that might be the reason why Britain has always been somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. You sots just insist on believing that there's no place like home."

Silence met this declaration.

"Anyway," John said after a while, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "What does this I hear about Harry wanting to jump someone's bones?"

"What?" Harry said indignantly while Ron exploded into laughter and Hermione and Ginny started giggling. "How do _you_ know? You've been upstairs resting!"

"Journalist instinct, Harry." John said tapping his nose knowingly. "It's my job to know."

"Not about my love life, it isn't!" Harry retorted, while Ron rolled around in his chair.

"Hah!" Hermione pointed a finger at Harry. "So you admit it, you're in love with her!"

"What!" Harry nearly yelled. "I've only known her for two days!"

"But you like her!" Hermione squealed. Harry gave up.

"What's this about Harry's love life?" Said a voice from the doorway. The group turned to see Mrs Weasley striding in with an empty lunch tray.

"Ah, Molly!" John exclaimed. "Your spaghetti is to die for! Tell me your secret!"

"Why?' Mrs Weasley asked smiling, setting the tray down and taking a seat beside Hermione at the table. "Are you secretly a chef when you're not reporting?"

"Dear god, no!" John cried. "I'd only wish to cook in the kitchen belonging to my most hated rival!"

"Why?' Ginny asked grinning.

"Because I wouldn't feel so bad about destroying his house, as I would my own." John sighed. Ginny laughed.

"Anyway, what's this I hear about Harry's love life?" Mrs Weasley asked briskly.

"How it's suddenly taken a turn for the better." Hermione said, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh really?" Mrs Weasley asked smiling. "And who's responsible for it?"

_Please, not with Mrs Weasley._ Harry thought desperately. _Have mercy!_

Hermione didn't. "With January, of course!" she said grinning.

Harry closed his eyes in mortification.

Mrs Weasley however took pity on Harry after indulging in a few embarrassing remarks, and changed the subject.

"Harry, dear, I just got an owl from Bill a while back." She started. Harry's attention focused on her. "It seems Dumbledore would like to talk to you about the wards around Privet Drive. Bill says that they've found out what caused it to collapse."

"What did make it collapse?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Bill didn't say." Mrs Weasley said. "You have to be careful about what you write in your letters these days."

"Albus will probably be here in an hour to talk, dear." Mrs Weasley said getting up and walking to the sink.

Harry nodded. He got up with his empty plate and put it in the dish rack after rinsing it. Hermione started clearing up the table. Ron and John leant back in their chairs with contented sighs.

"Oh, and Ron." Mrs Weasley said. "We need to talk about that little stunt you pulled in the morning with Mrs Black's portrait. _Now_."

Ron's face fell.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**Yeah, sorry. I didn't realise I had two drafts of the same chapter on my computer; the unfinished one and the finished one. **

**Toodles! :-) **


	18. Refuge: Truth, partially revealed

Refuge: Truth, partially revealed

Harry sat in his room with Ron and Hermione. After Ron endured a rather lengthy lecture (completely howler worthy in Harry's opinion), the trio had gone up to the room Ron and Harry were sharing.

Harry had finally got the mattress through the door after Kreacher had grudgingly helped him, and he had made up his side of the room. His trunk which had arrived shortly after lunch, from the hideout housing the Dursley's, was positioned at the foot of his bed. Harry had started unpacking a little, for the first time that summer, to prepare for his month long stay at No. 12 Grimmauld Place.

Clothes lay unfolded in messy piles on the floor and his invisibility cloak carelessly strewn across his bed. He had placed a few of his possessions on the window sill by his bed like his pocket sneakoscope and a few of his school books. His Firebolt which had been recovered from the wreckage of No. 4 Privet Drive that morning had been sent via Moody shortly after lunch. Harry had just finished telling them about the battle last night.

After much thought, Harry had only told Ron and Hermione the bare essentials; he figured they really didn't need to know about his mum's letter to Aunt Petunia. Showing it to them would just create unnecessary fuss. Harry had taken the chocolate frog card out after lunch when he had found himself alone for a few minutes. Hermione had been unpacking in her room and Ron had been…well, he had been in the kitchen with his mother.

Harry had examined the chocolate frog card and scrutinised it from every angle, and he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. It seemed to be a perfectly normal card. The miniature Dumbledore seemed to smile benevolently at him as Harry turned to card over to inspect it. Finally, he had given up and had hidden it at the bottom of his trunk under some old clothes.

He didn't think the letter would remain secret for long, Dumbledore was sure to question the Dursley's. But he still wanted some time to ponder over what Petunia had said last night.

"_I didn't give it to you because for the past sixteen years I've tried to pretend I'm not related to the freak that killed my parents!"_

That line kept entering his head. The expression on Petunia's face, the anger and distraught so evident from her screech, all lead Harry to believe that as much as he hoped she had been, Petunia was not lying. he pushed the thought out from his mind and went back to unpacking his trunk.

"Wow." Ron said with a slow smile spreading across his face. "I wish I could have seen Macnair go down! That was brilliant Harry!"

"Thanks." Harry said grinning at Ron with some difficulty. He turned to look at Hermione, whose expression wasn't nearly as relaxed as Ron's.

"What?" Harry asked defensively.

"Nothing!" Hermione said, equally as defensive. "I just don't understand how the wards could have just evaporated like that!"

"Dumbledore probably found out," Ron said. "That's why he wants to come, I bet."

"Forget about that for a moment, let's think logically." Hermione answered waving her hand as if the clear the air.

"We know from what Bill told Dumbledore that the Death Eaters couldn't have got the wards to collapse." Hermione said.

"And Harry couldn't have done it either." Ron said helpfully.

"Then someone from the Order could have done it, I suppose." Harry said recklessly. Snape's image immediately sprang forth in his mind.

"I hope not. I hate to think of one of You-Know-Who's spies protecting us." Hermione shuddered at the thought.

"Well, didn't Bill say that the wards were weak?" Ron said. "Maybe they just collapsed that night because they ran out of energy."

"Wards just don't collapse." Hermione said pointedly, unknowingly repeating Dumbledore's words.

"Do you think January could have pulled that off?" Hermione said suddenly after a small pause. "You don't think her powers are so strong that they could disintegrate wards, do you?"

"There's an idea!" Ron said excitedly.

Harry shook his head. "Grimmauld Place is still protected." He reminded them. "If Jan could do that, we'd be under attack right now."

"Then I have absolutely no idea." Hermione said gloomily.

Harry finally decided to tell Ron and Hermione about Lily's letter.

He started with his discovery of the letter among the pile of old bills and ended with his fight with Petunia. He debated for a while whether to tell them about the chocolate frog card, but showed the card to them in the end. Harry figured he might as well, considering the fact that he hadn't the slightest clue as to what it was.

"What was that about Christmas of '79?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Harry shook his head slowly from his position on his bed. "I don't know. The alarm went off before I could ask her anymore."

"Maybe, she was lying." Ron said quietly. "She was really angry. I doubt your mum would have done anything remotely.." he trailed off.

Harry nodded. He couldn't speak.

"Well, I guess we know how the wards collapsed." Hermione said weakly.

Harry turned to her.

"Your aunt said that No. 4 Privet Drive would never be your home." Hermione explained apologetically.

"The wards were only effective till the time you could call that place home, and what your aunt said…" she became quiet and looked down at the floor.

"It's okay." Harry said stoically. "It's fine. I think that's the reason why they collapsed."

Hermione turned the chocolate frog card over in her hands.

"It doesn't look like a dark artefact." She murmured thoughtfully. "There could be a secret message hidden in the picture."

"Maybe it's like the curses protecting the tombs of Pharoahs." Ron ventured. "Bill said they only open when something is sacrificed."

Harry thought it was really unlikely that his mother would bequeath something to Harry that required a blood sacrifice. He nodded doubtfully anyway.

"The letter said that it may take years to understand it." Harry said. "I don't think it's supposed to do anything. I think its just a card."

"But there's something you have to understand from it." Hermione finished. "But I don't see what. It's just an ordinary card."

"Then why would she send a card, if it's like any other in the world?" Ron questioned. "She needn't have bothered with sending Harry one through the letter; she could have just waited for him to turn eleven and come to Hogwarts."

"Or she could have left it with Dumbledore if it was that important." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Your Dad left his invisibility cloak with him before he died. Why give it to Petunia?"

"The only reason she would have given it to Petunia," Harry said slowly. "is that she wanted Petunia to give it to me."

"What?" Ron said confused. "How is that important?"

Hermione looked a bit uncomfortable. "Harry, your mother knew a lot about old magic." She said.

"She must have known that there are certain acts which have immeasurable power. Your Aunt was your only blood relative when your parents died, the magic protecting this card must be a type of blood magic too."

Before she could go any further, the door opened. Mrs Weasley's head poked in.

"Harry dear," she said softly. "Professor Dumbledore's waiting downstairs for you."

Harry got up and smoothed down his shirt. Ron and Hermione nodded at him encouragingly when he looked towards them. Harry smiled weakly and exited the room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Harry entered the kitchen to find Dumbledore seated at the head of the dining table. The only source of light came from the small fire to the right of the room. the flames cackled almost silently, bathing the room in an orange glow.

For a moment, Harry thought Dumbledore was asleep; he was so still. Harry cleared his throat.

Dumbledore stirred and looked at Harry.

"Ah," he said after a pause. He gestured towards the seat on his left. "Please, sit down Harry."

Harry did as instructed. He sat with his hands knotted in his lap and waited for Dumbledore to speak.

"Am I right to assume," he said at last. "that you and your aunt had a disagreement last night?"

Harry nodded silently.

"A disagreement in which your aunt proclaimed that No. 4, Privet Drive would never be your home?"

Harry nodded again. Dumbledore sighed wearily.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that Mr. William Weasley knows his job so well." He murmured. "He can perhaps advise us on the wards guarding Hogwarts."

He was silent again. Harry shuffled in his seat uncomfortably.

"Sir?" he said when he was unable to bear the silence any longer. "You're not angry?"

Dumbledore shook his head gently. "I'm not angry at you at all." He answered. "I did not know that your mother had sent a letter to your aunt before her death. I discovered that a few hours ago when I questioned your relatives. I have not read the letter of course, and I don't want to,"

Dumbledore said quickly as he saw Harry open his mouth to interrupt.

"You are only human Harry. I knew your mother for a long time and I can guess to some extent as to what she would have written in her letter. Am I right in thinking that she asked your aunt to put aside her personal prejudices and take care of you?" he asked

Harry nodded again in reply.

"If I was in your position, I suppose my anger would have been much greater." Dumbledore mused. "I was much more emotionally unstable when I was your age, you know."

Harry smiled a little at the thought of his wise headmaster as hormonal teenager.

"So no, I do not blame you for what happened. I actually should have warned you about the various actions that can trigger the wards to collapse, but I never imagined that such a situation would arise." Dumbledore explained apologetically.

Harry shook his head. "It's alright sir, I shouldn't have lost control like that. But I was wondering about something."

Harry hesitated then continued when he saw Dumbledore's encouraging nod. "What exactly happened on the Christmas of '79?"

Dumbledore took a little time to answer Harry's question. Harry thought that he seemed to be turning the question over in his mind so he could answer it without angering Harry.

"Your aunt, Harry," Dumbledore said slowly. "unfortunately holds grudges against people for years, even for things they didn't do."

"That doesn't really answer my question sir." Harry said, feeling a bit brave.

"After your mother graduated and married your father, she joined the Order of the Phoenix. She severed all ties with her family members for a while because she and James were deep undercover for the Order. If you remember Harry, last year I told you that your parents defied Voldemort three times." Dumbledore elaborated.

Harry nodded along as he said this to show that he was following.

"The first time they defied Voldemort was on Christmas of '79." Dumbledore said. He took of his half moon glasses and tapped them with his wand, instantly cleaning them. "Some rookie Death Eaters got a hold of Lily's identity and killed her parents, your grandparents, to prove themselves to Voldemort."

"The people who killed them weren't even proper Death Eaters, Harry. They were young and inexperienced and reckless. Your mother, "he paused.

"She took no pity on them when she found out what they had done. She hunted them down and…" Dumbledore trailed off.

"It was the Christmas of 1979 when her parents died. Soon after, Lily and James express delivered the bodies of the Death Eaters wrapped in shrouds bearing the symbol of the Order of the Phoenix, to the home of Lucius Malfoy, which was one of Voldemorts' many lairs."

Harry could hear traces of admiration in Dumbledore voice.

"Your aunt couldn't understand that your mother was not to blame for their parents' death. Your grandparent's funeral was the last time they ever spoke. Petunia sought to break all ties with her sister." Dumbledore ended his monologue.

"Don't blame your aunt, Harry." Dumbledore said kindly. "the loss of her parents affected her very deeply."

"Yeah," Harry muttered, his anger evident. "Deeply enough to lock up her nephew under the stairs for a decade."

Dumbledore sighed. "It's not within my power to make you forgive your relatives, and even if it was, I wouldn't. You have every reason to be angry with them." He paused to let his words sink in.

"But bear in mind that fostering hatred can burn a person from the inside out. Look at how Petunia's anger at her sister made her ill treat an innocent child in her petty revenge!"

"I would never-" Harry started.

But Dumbledore didn't let him finish. "You have no idea how low a human can fall when his sole purpose in life becomes revenge. Look at how Voldemort's hatred for his muggle father drove him to discriminate against all muggles, and look at how it affected our entire world! Miss Granger could tell you first hand about that."

Harry fell silent as he mulled over his headmasters' words.

Dumbledore stood up. "I have always said that if we want to defeat Tom in this war Harry, we have to think like him. That is the only way we can predict where he'll strike next. But to become him, would be to sell our souls to the very dark forces and emotions within us which made Tom the way he his today; cold, unloved and cruel."

The headmaster of Hogwarts looked down at his pupil.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me Harry?" he said kindly. His half moon glasses glinted in the light of the fire.

Harry shook his head after quickly deciding to keep the matter of the card to himself for the moment.

"No, sir."

"Very well, then." Dumbledore nodded. He took out a few envelopes from the inner pocket of his robes and handed them to Harry. "These are your Hogwarts letters for the new school year. There are two letters there meant for Ms Singh and Mr. Granger. Would you see to it that they receive it, Harry?"

Harry nodded as he took the sheaf of envelopes.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry again. "I wanted to have this discussion with you Harry, to make sure that you understand that you shouldn't fight Tom and his followers because you want your revenge for your parent's deaths. That will leave you as cold and cruel as Tom one day."

He continued after a moment to let his words sink in.

"Fighting because you hate your enemy will never help. Fighting because you love your friends and family is always best."

"So in other words, 'love' is still my greatest power?" Harry said, unable to resist the small joke.

"Yes," Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm afraid so."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So, how did it go?" Ron asked eagerly. "What else did he say?"

"Nothing much." Harry said in reply. "He just told me how the wards collapsed, and about Christmas of '79."

Hermione was sitting on Ron's unmade bed, going through Ron's chocolate frog collection.

"I think what your Mom did to those Death Eaters was very brave, Harry." She said. "Just imagine a person fresh out of Hogwarts hunting down Death Eaters, much less killing them!"

"-and then sending them through express delivery to Malfoy's dad!" Ron chortled. "That's putting the bloody icing on top of a delicious cake!"

"And he said that we should fight because we love our family and friends, not because we hate Tom." Harry said.

Hermione nodded in approval. Ron kept chuckling.

Harry watched Hermione deftly sift through the piles of cards on Ron's bed. He finally gave in to the question that had been nagging him for the past ten minutes.

"Hermione," he said slowly. "What are you doing?"

"Looking through Ron's collection of chocolate cards Harry." Hermione answered. As in _'Duh, bozo, what does it look like I'm doing?_'

"Funnily enough, I figured that out for myself." Harry replied. "I meant, why?"

"I'm trying to see if there's any difference between these and the card your mother left you." She replied. "So far I can't find any. It looks like any other card to me."

"Be careful with those 'Mione!" Ron cried as Hermione toppled over a buch of cards piled haphazardly on the pillow. "I have a system!"

Hermione glared at him from her spot on the bed. Ron shrunk away.

"Just put them in a corner when you're done." he finished meekly. "I'll do the rest."

Harry went over and sat down next to Hermione. He shuffled through some of the cards. Names like Ptolemy, Agrippa and Dumbledore came up. The same faces, the same clothes, the same colours.

"Are you sure there isn't anything?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head. One of her hair combs fell out of her hair, but she didn't pay any attention to it.

Someone knocked softly on the door. The door opened a moment later and January walked in.

"Hey," she smiled at them. "Are you guys busy?"

Hermione stopped shuffling through the cards and looked up. Harry jumped off the bed immediately, much to Ron's amusement who let out a guffaw and started chuckling again.

"No, come in and sit with us!" Harry said. "How was your nap?"

"It was good, I feel awake now." January said. She looked at Hermione.

Hermione got off the bed and held out her hand. "Hermione Granger." She introduced herself.

'January Singh." Jan replied shaking the offered hand.

"Harry's told me all about you!" Hermione said with a teasing wink at Harry. Harry flushed and glared at Hermione.

"Has he now?" Jan replied amused. "What exactly did he say?"

"That we met yesterday and you can block magic!" Harry interrupted quickly before Hermione could say another word. "Come sit down won't you?"

January went over to Ron's bed and looked at the dazzling array of cards spread over the surface of the bed.

"Wow, " she murmured. "What are these?"

"Chocolate Frog cards." Ron said. "You get one with every Chocolate Frog. You collect them."

"They're beautiful." Jan said as she lifted a Ptolemy card and inspected it under the light. "They're so detailed! Are they all famous wizards?"

"And witches." Hermione added, ever the feminist. "There's a bit about them printed on the back."

"What are you doing with them?" January asked as she flipped over the card and started reading the write up on the back.

Hermione looked at Harry. Harry nodded to indicate that she could tell January. He didn't think it could do any harm.

"We're trying to spot any differences between this one," Hermione lifted up Lily's card in her right hand. "and the rest."

"Why?" January asked. She turned the card over and her eyes opened wide. "Where's the picture? It was there a moment ago!" she cried out in alarm.

"Pictures move in the wizarding world." Harry explained remembering the first time he realised it.

"They do?" Jan said awestruck. She looked at the card in her hands. "_Awesome_."

Jan kept looking at the card with reverence for a few moments before snapping out of it and looking at Hermione.

"Trying to spot differences?" she asked. "Do you mind if I try?"

"No, go ahead." Hermione said handing the card over to Jan, before announcing that she had to go to the restroom and leaving the bedroom.

Ron and Harry looked on as January located another Dumbledore card from the pile on Ron's bed and started intense scrutiny. Her eyes swivelled back and forth between the two cards.

After about fifteen seconds of observation, January leaned back and sighed.

"I can only spot very minor differences.' She told Harry and Ron. "Does that count?"

"What differences?" Harry asked. Harry and Ron went and sat down on either side of Jan. they looked over her shoulders to see the two cards; held side by side, written side facing up.

The cards in Harry's opinion looked exactly the same. There was a blue-gold border and the background was decorated with complicated blue and light gold swirls. The words were written in a deeper hue of gold.

January pointed at the writing on the back of Lily's card.

'See that?" she said. "The colour of the ink is bit more brownish over here. And those strokes above each letter, the purplish ones? They're not there on the other one."

"How do you notice stuff like that?" Ron said amazed.

"And this one," January said, ignoring Ron and pointing at Lily's cards again. 'It's a bit shinier, like it's been varnished or something, or laminated."

"What's laminated?" Ron asked. But Jan seemed to be lost in her own world.

"In fact, if you turn them sideways,' she did so and held them up into the light. "You see that?" she exclaimed.

"See what?" Ron said impatiently.

"That one's slightly thicker!" January said gesturing at Lily's card. She flicked a corner of Lily's card. "It's tougher than the other ones. I think there might be something stuck on it. But I don't think you'll be able to get it off; it's stuck too tightly."

"I think I know how to get it off." Harry said, as a possibility suddenly entered his mind; it would explain why his mother had given the card to his only surviving blood relative. He needed to meet his aunt.

Jan looked at him sceptically. "We could try nail polish remover?"


	19. Introduction

Interlude

"Imbeciles." The voice hissed slowly, drawing out every syllable.

The two masked men stood with their heads bowed, sweat soaking through their dark robes.

The room was dimly lit by several small torches floating magically in the corners. Several masked men stood at attention against the wall, the slits in their masks showing a hint of their wide eyes.

The lone figure standing in the centre of the room drew his wand and pointed it at one of the crouching figures:

"Silencio. Crucio."

The man crouching on the ground rose into the air, his limbs stretching as if he was being quartered by a dozen airborne stallions. His mouth opened noiselessly as he let out silent screams of torture.

The inhabitants of the room didn't flinch a muscle. They watched on silently, each silently praying that they would not be the next to suffer their master's wrath.

"Because of you cretins, we have lost twelve of our most trusted Death Eaters!" Voldemort shouted in a rage.

"You were beaten by a sixteen year old boy who can't even use his wand without a Ministry summons!"

"You! Malfoy!" Voldemort bellowed. He waved his wand hand and the airborne was immediately thrown against the wall to his right. He crumpled to the floor in a heap where he lay, still and unmoving.

Malfoy stood trembling in his position, his silver topped cane by his side and his silver hair slick with sweat and sticking to his scalp. He dropped to his knees as his master walked towards him.

"Master, I plead you-" he started to say. Voldemort extended a skeletal hand grabbed Lucius Malfoy by the hair.

"I want that boy caught Malfoy." Voldemort whispered menacingly. Malfoy nodded quickly.

"Yes m'lord. I foolishly trusted Macnair! I will go after him myself-"

"No!" Voldemort silenced him. "I have decided that the Potter boy is out of your reach!"

"Master!" Lucius said confused.

"You will aid the newest addition to our ranks Lucius." The dark lord ordered, his snake like eyes glinted in the dim light.

"Master? Who-?" Lucius said helplessly.

Voldemort raised his arm towards the door behind Malfoy. The door opened with a groan and a figure clad in black robes slowly walked in.

Silver eyes looked out from the sliver mask and met the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. An expression of shock and horror fixed itself over Malfoy's face as he realised who he was looking at.

Voldemort smiled and extended and arm to the new arrival. The man walked towards his master and knelt down to kiss his feet.

"Master," the man murmured. Malfoy looked on with shock wracking his entire body with sudden spasms.

Voldemort let go of Malfoy's hair and threw him towards the ground.

"You will be helping him, Lucius. He will capture the boy and bring him back here." The dark Lord said.

"Greet him, Lucius." Voldemort said, a hint of amusement creeping into his normally cold and cruel voice.

Malfoy turned to the man crouching next to him, dreading every moment.

"Good evening..." he said quietly. "..._son_."


	20. Refuge: Adjustment

Refuge: Adjustment

The next few days passed slowly for the inhabitants of No. 12, Grimmauld Place. Harry, Ron and Hermione mostly spent their time acclimatizing January to life in the wizarding world.

They had each chosen their own approach. Ron taught her to play wizarding chess; even though Jan insisted the whole time that she had never even understood the muggle version, but stopped midway and laughed out loud when one of the castles started hitting on her.

Hermione had chosen a method she was comfortable with; namely books. She had given January her copy of _Howarts; A history_ as well as several of her school books to give her an idea of what a magical school was like.

January later privately confided in Harry that though she found the books a bit too serious for her taste, she did enjoy looking at the moving pictures.

"I mean, I wish we had moving pictures in the Muggle world!" January said wistfully. "It would definitely make class a lot more interesting, don't you think?"

Harry had only smiled, making a mental not to tell Hermione to give Jan some lighter stuff for reading.

Harry had taken to spending few hours alone with January every day, just getting to know her. He got to know more about her huge family in India, where she had grown up. How different it was from England, how much she missed spicy food at times, how she hoped her family was alright with her just leaving the way she did. She had got a bit teary eyed when she started talking about her family, but Harry had managed to calm her down.

Hermione nearly went mad with joy when Harry told her that he had actually comforted a crying girl.

"Marry her, Harry!" she squealed excitedly. "I bet you'll never be able to find a girl with whom you can be so comfortable with!"

Harry had ignored Ron's snorts and guffaws as Hermione recounted Harry's reaction when Cho had started crying on him.

"'Well, I uh, patted her on the back a bit-' " Ron imitated in a stuttering voice. Harry shoved him off his bed in irritation, but inside he was a bit amused to know that he wasn't alone in thinking that January Singh was perfect for him.

Harry in turn shared his stories with Jan. He told her about his adventures with Ron and Hermione starting from the Philosopher's Stone in his first year, to the battle in the Department of Mysteries in his fifth.

He told her everything he knew about Voldemort and the Death Eaters, about his childhood with the Dursley's, about his first train ride to Hogwarts, and about his first ride on a broom. He told her about Hagrid, about his parents, about Hedwig, and after hesitating for a while, about Sirius.

January took it amazingly well. She didn't tremble when Harry told her how frightening Voldemort's reign had been, but instead put her small hand in his large one when Harry recounted his memories with Sirius.

She didn't blink when Harry told her about Fluffy, the three headed dog guarding the Philosopher's Stone, but instead said she hoped that he had been fed regularly.

"It matters!" Jan said defensively, when Harry told her not to be silly. "Animals don't _want_ to be hostile; they're either hungry or scared! You shouldn't be mean to them just because they have three heads! In fact they probably think we're deformed because we only have one!"

Harry just sat back and stared at her with awe, before Jan started poking him to get him to start talking again.

His mind used to relive these conversations when Harry was in bed at night; his mind going over every little detail. The way her nose crinkled sometimes when she laughed, how her eyes always seemed to sparkle as if she was always laughing, how her whole face just seemed so _alive._

Harry couldn't help but wonder how different things could be for him if he had January by his side.

The house was empty for the most part as Mrs Weasley had finally caved in to Healer Pouncharelli's advice (it didn't require much effort on his part) before carting off her husband to a private room at St. Mungo's. Mr Weasley, the healer told the Weasley's was vulnerable to disease while living in a clearly unsanitary set up like Grimmauld Place. Harry had Kreacher to thank for that. Mrs Weasley had taken to keeping vigil by Mr Weasley's bed and had left her children, Harry and Jan to the mercy of John.

John for the most part stayed in his room and carried out his assignment with the Order, and gave the teenagers freedom to do pretty much whatever they wanted to do. He only surfaced for meals, which were usually prepared by Harry, Ginny or Hermione.

The meals served many purposes. Apart from fulfilling a famished journalist, it gave John a chance to make sure that the house was still intact and none of the kids were missing limbs.

Although many Order members kept strolling in at odd intervals, either to rest for a bit, or just for a chat, Harry and his friends found themselves relatively undisturbed.

Harry had been annoyed to learn that his crush on Jan had become somewhat of a hot topic in the Order. Nearly every Order member who came to Headquarters couldn't resist giving Harry a meaningful wink or a nudge whenever Jan was in the same room as him. January remained oblivious to all the smirks and smarmy grins, much to Harry's relief.

Timothy had also joined them the night January had made her discovery about the cards. At first Harry had got along fine with him, they were on the way to becoming good friends. And then, the _poof_ crossed a line...

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and January had been sitting at the dinner table talking. Ron and Hermione were (to keep things original? Ha!) having a heated conversation about History of Magic.

"The subjects' completely useless!" Ron said loudly. "How will the names of all the seventeen goblins at the Reuters Conference of 1356 help me in life?"

"It's important to know about your past!" Hermione snapped. "It helps us understand more about why society's the way it is!"

"I loved history when I was at school." January joined in. she started cleaning her nails with a toothpick. "I'm good at memorizing stuff, so it was an easy grade for me!"

Hermione turned to Timothy who had chosen that moment to walk into the room. He settled down besides January and gave January an appraising sort of look.

"What do you think Timothy?" Hermione pressed. "Don't you think history is important?"

"I don't know about history," Timothy said stretching in his seat. His arm casually drifted across the back of January's chair. "_Chemistry_ was my thing in school. And we have a lot of it here, don't you agree?"

Alarm bells went of inside Harry's mind as he saw Timothy smile smoothly at January. January smiled back uncertainly and leaned forward in her chair to escape Timothy's arm.

Harry had angrily noted that Ron had for once been right, and Hermione had been wrong, about Timothy's romantic nature.

So, he didn't just restrict himself to overage girls. Underage girls seemed to be fair play for him too, Harry thought waspishly as he saw Timothy sidling up to January later in the evening.

"What the hell is he playing at?" Harry snapped as he changed into his night clothes and got into bed. Ron sat cross legged on his bed, rearranging his Chocolate Card collection.

"Told you he was a pillock." Ron muttered. "But, no. You said he wasn't the type! What do you think now, eh?"

"I think I might slip a couple of Blast Ended Skrewts into his bed if he tries anything like that with Jan again!" Harry growled into his pillow.

"Oh, by the way, Fred and George sent you this." Ron said, lifting a package wrapped in brown paper and chucking it towards Harry.

"Said it would be 'mighty helpful in your designs' or something like that." Ron said. "And something about it being 'appropriate that Jan was from India.'"

Harry caught the packet and started to unwrap it. It was a book, Harry realised. He read the cover by the moonlight and gasped out loud.

"What?" Ron said, suddenly alert. "Is your scar hurting?"

"No-no- it's ah, this book." Harry replied weakly.

Ron hurried over to Harry's bed and read the title of the book. He burst out laughing.

The book was titled; _The eternal Kama Sutra for wizards_.

******************

Contrary to what one might think, the members of the Order of the Phoenix had lots of work to do besides sending pornography to sixteen year olds.

Voldemort's signs seemed to be every where. Everyday, news of missing people, recovered bodies and lost allies poured into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. In the morning, John could be seen feverishly sending and receiving Floo messages, owls and cutting out articles from an assortment of newspapers from around the world.

It seemed Voldemort's network of terror was spreading quickly across Europe.

"His allies in France, Belgium and Bulgaria have returned to his side." John told them one day at the lunch table. "He's concentrating on building an army of dark creatures as well as a separate army of learned wizards and witches from across Europe. Half of them come to his side willingly, the other half..." John gestured to the Auror report lying next to his plate which outlined how five Death Eaters kidnapped an Austrian Unspeakable after slaughtering his entire family.

Harry had realised just how seriously John took his job when he had gone in to call John down for lunch one afternoon; the entire right wall of his room was covered with a giant map of the world with what seemed like millions of little pieces of parchment pinned onto it. Threads seemed to run everywhere connecting cities across continents. Somehow they all seemed to converge around Norway and surrounding parts.

Huge maps of countries were spread across his bed and the two giant dinner tables John had somehow managed to squeeze into the cramped room. To John, Harry realised, his comfort was of least importance, and his work the most. Never mind that most of his upper torso was still covered with bruises.

"Is there something special about Norway?" Harry asked John who was rifling through some papers on one of the desks.

"Extremely open minded government," John muttered absent-mindedly. He opened a drawer and shoved all the papers inside haphazardly. "They're willing to incorporate immunes into normal wizarding society, rather than hunt them down. People who have their best interests at heart have told them to go there."

"Are they safe there?" Harry asked as he ran his finger along one of the strings connecting London to New Delhi.

"Not for long; dark wizards have started infiltrating the government." John said. He closed the drawer with a bang and stood straight. "What's for lunch?"

"Steak," Harry replied absent-mindedly. "What's going on with the whole Ka-Anae thing?"

"Well, no sign of Hopkirk and Concus as of yet." John said opening the door to the room and walking out into the corridor. "But there are rumours going around that Voldemort has kidnapped some Egyptian scientist while he was on sabbatical. We don't know anything more than that."

Harry followed him out into the corridor and shut the door behind after taking a last look at the map on the wall.

Harry, Hermione and Ron had also managed to bombard Professor McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt with a barrage of questions about the Death Eaters January had managed to subdue in the battle of No. 4.

Kingsley, who the trio learned had questioned them mercilessly for hours along with Moody, had little to tell them.

"We already knew most of what they were spouting out," Kingsley said in his deep reassuring voice. His gold earring glinted in the light from the stove in the kitchen.

"They were after Harry of course, and now they know that January is an immune; their partners told them after they realised they got knocked down by a fifteen year old girl with a saucepan."

"So are you going to put them on trial soon?" Hermione asked worriedly. "Where are they now?"

"High security containment cell at the Auror Headquarters," Kingsley replied. "It may take some time to put them on trial; one of them, Macnair, is a senior Ministry Official. Some members of the Wizengamot are hesitating to put such a prominent member of the administration on the stand. It'll mean a lot of negative press for the Ministry, and they already have a lot of that going around. But they will be tried," he hastened to reassure them, as he saw Ron and Harry open their mouths in indignation.

"It's only a matter of time, boys. In the meantime, just keep yourselves out of any trouble, alright?"

That was the sole piece of advice every Order member seemed to give out; for Harry, it had become somewhat of a chant which ran through his mind continuously. For some reason, people had a passion to say it most whenever Harry was nearby.

"Well," Hermione told him hesitatingly. "You do have a knack of finding trouble wherever you go."

"What d'you mean, a 'knack'? " Harry asked irritably. "It's not like I plan these things."

"I wish you did!" Ron told him wistfully. "It would have made a whole lot of difference back in second year when you left me behind that rock fall in the chamber with Lockhart!"

"What would you have done then?" Hermione asked.

"I would have brought along some food." Ron said shrugging. "And a beater's bat to knock out Lockhart."

In spite of everything that was happening around him, the mystery of the chocolate frog card was never far from Harry's mind. He pondered daily over how to meet his aunt in private as he severely doubted she would agree to meet him, given what happened the last time they were in the same room.

Sometimes he would get out the chocolate card from its hiding place (rolled up in a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks) and ponder it. He found that January had indeed been right. The material of the chocolate card was definitely thicker and tougher than the normal ones. There was definitely something there, but he didn't know what to do about it.

He didn't really know how meeting his aunt would help, but felt like there was a quiet voice at the back of his head, quietly urging him to contact Aunt Petunia.

For now though, he had told the voice to stuff itself and was happily focusing on January.

The letters Harry had received from Dumbledore had been cause of great excitement at Grimmauld Place, for several reasons;

One of course, that they had got their book lists for the new school year, and Ron and Hermione had been reinstated as prefects of sixth year. Harry's included a surprise; he had been made Quidditch Captain.

He had been going over his book list for the new school year when the golden badge slipped out of the envelope and clattered noisily on to the kitchen floor.

Harry looked away from his book list and looked for the source of the noise.

"Blimey-is that?" Ron whispered slowly. He bent down and picked up the badge and held it to the light.

January who had been standing next to Harry and reading his list over his shoulder looked at Ron. "Has Harry been made prefect too?" she asked.

Ron snorted. "Fat chance; he's caused too much trouble! Harry-you're Captain for Gryffindor!"

"What!" Harry said stunned. "Are they mad?"

"Of course not! You've got the most experience and you're really good!" Ginny said swatting Harry on the back. "He's the youngest seeker of the century, you know." She said conversationally to Jan.

"That's wonderful!" Jan said elated and hugged Harry.

"Congratulations!" Hermione cried happily. "This is so wonderful Harry! I knew you'd get it!"

Harry just stood there with his mouth open, staring at the golden piece of metal, decorated with red motifs, glinting in the light.

The second; they were informed that Dumbledore would hold sessions with January and Timothy three times a week, to test their powers. Harry had already made up his mind that he would sit in on every single one rather than leave Jan alone with Timothy, even though, as Ron pointed out, Dumbledore would be there. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had also decided to keep him company partly because they were curious about the sessions, but mostly because they got a kick out of seeing Harry jealous.

The first class was held about a week after January had arrived at number twelve. The group collected in the kitchen to anxiously await Dumbledore's arrival.

"Don't worry," Timothy said reassuringly to Jan, who was nervously twisting her fingers. "The Professor won't do anything to harm you."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who were seated opposite Timothy, Jan and Harry, turned to look at Harry's reaction.

Harry passed Timothy a glare from where he was sitting, and covered Jan's hand with his own.

"He can't even use his wand around you, remember?" Harry said squeezing her hand. "And he's supposed to be one of the most powerful wizards of the century! You'll be fine, I promise."

"Yes, and he'll tell you a lot more about your powers than you could ever imagine!" Timothy interrupted, vying for Jan's attention. Ron, Hermione and Ginny's heads swivelled back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match.

"And I'll be here the whole time!" Harry said tugging at Jan's hand. "There's no need to worry."

"And so will I! If you have any questions, just ask _me_!"

"No, you should ask _me_, after all I do know more about magic!"

"That's all great!" Jan said waving an arm dismissively in the air. "I just wish I had some idea about what he was going to do!"

"Your suspense will not stay for long, Ms Singh." Said a voice from the doorway.

Dumbledore strode into the room, his dark blue robes decorated with glittering gold stars billowing behind him.

"He's got a thing for grand entrances, doesn't he?" Jan whispered to Harry. Harry grinned.

"And he's got the robes to go with it." He whispered back as he eyed a shooting star whizz across the front of Dumbledore's robes.

Dumbledore walked to the head of the table and seated himself. He looked at January in a kindly manner.

"There's absolutely no need to worry, I assure you January. We're going to take things slow. I've have with me a number of magical potions which Professor Snape kindly made for this particular situation." He said. Dumbledore reached into the inside of his robes and carefully pulled out a small box, roughly the size of a quaffle, made of what Harry recognised as ivory.

Harry winced inwardly on hearing that January would drink something that had been specially prepared by Snape.

"They are extremely small vials and will cause you little harm even if they are effective."

Dumbledore set the case down on the kitchen table and opened it, revealing an array of glass vials all filled with different potions, held safely with copper netting.

January gulped.

"What are they exactly?" she said tentatively. "What do they normally do?"

Dumbledore took out a glass vial filled with bubbling pink liquid and held it out to her.

January reached out and grasped the tiny vial in her hand and looked at it.

" 'Amortentia'." She said out loud, reading the tiny label placed on top of the cork of the vial. January looked up. "Let me guess, a love potion?"

"How did you know?" Hermione asked surprised.

" 'Amore' is love in Italian, isn't it?"  
"Indeed it is!" Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Would you like to try it?" he asked politely, as if he was asking January to try the chef's special at a French restaurant.

"So, what?" she said. January eyed the vial suspiciously, shaking it and watching the pink liquid froth to and fro. She uncorked it carefully and set the cork down on the table.

She looked warily at the pink fumes rising out of the potion and forming shapes in the air. The room was suddenly filled with a delicious aroma.

Harry closed his eyes and breathed in the delicious scent which smelt like a mixture of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle and something fruity that felt vaguely familiar.

The seductive scent filled him from inside like warm butterbeer and a deep feeling of contentment settled down upon Harry. He grinned lazily at Ron who grinned right back.

"I drink this and if it works, I fall in love with the person I see first?" Jan asked clearly. The smell seemed to have no effect on her apparently.

Harry immediately tried to shift his chair closer to Jan's, discreetly looking out of the corner of his eye to see if Timothy was doing the same. Ron let out a little snort as he saw what he was doing, and Ginny smirked.

"Well, not exactly." Hermione said in that dreaded 'lecture' tone of hers. "You fall in love with the person the potion maker had for you."

The effects of the scent immediately wore off as a feeling of nausea overtook Harry's senses.

"The hell with it!" January muttered and took the tiny vial to her lips and gulped the potion down before Harry could protest. She gasped and clutched her throat as the potion went down her throat.

The kitchen was silent for a few moments as Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Timothy watched Jan with bated breath. Dumbledore merely looked up at the ceiling twiddling his thumbs.

Jan removed her hands from her neck after a few seconds and smacked her lips and sighed disappointedly. She corked the vial and set it down on the table top and looked at the others.

"It's too salty."

Ginny smacked her head on the table as she burst into giggles and Hermione's mouth twitched as she vainly tried to cover her smile.

"Yes, well." Dumbledore said, twinkling at an all time high. "Perhaps you can continue with the rest of the potions yourself with Mr. Potter and the others keeping and eye on you, while Mr. Granger and I journey upstairs to carry on with his sessions."

And that was that.

All the tension in the air evaporated as Dumbledore and Timothy went up to Buckbeaks' room to carry on with their sessions and January was left to drink all the potions one by one.

The entire session lasted for than two hours, occasionally interrupted by a loud crash from above followed by indignant shrieks from Buckbeak, as there were more than twenty vials in the case, and sometimes the potion did affect Jan a little.

Ron and Ginny eagerly handed Jan a new vial as soon as she was done with the last and kept fighting over which potion to hand her next. Hermione kept watching with wide eyes as Jan gulped down each potion.

Out of the twenty something potions, very little seemed to have any effect on her.

Felix Felicis, liquid luck as Hermione explained, had no effect on Jan besides making her hiccup for fifteen minutes.

The Draught of living Death turned January's hair white for half an hour, which nearly reduced her to tears. Hermione had to rush up and fetch Dumbledore, who immediately set her hair back to its normal chocolate-y brown. January looked like she could have strangled Dumbledore for making her do this.

"_You-don't-mess-with-my-hair!_" January hissed at Ron when he told her that it was no big deal. Ron quickly nodded back at her with a squeak as Jan grabbed him by his shirt front, with a look of abject terror on his face. Hermione and Ginny shook their heads at Ron with a look of hopelessness.

The only potion which seriously effected Jan was Polyjuice Potion. On drinking it, Jan got up without a word and rushed to the nearest bathroom and proceeded to empty her stomach of its contents. At this point Hermione and Harry decided that Jan had suffered enough and closed the potion case, much to Ron's and Ginny's disappointment. Hermione and Ginny helped Jan up to her room, while Harry and Ron stayed behind to clean up the bathroom and kitchen.

Through out the session, Ron, Ginny and Hermione had looked at Jan with amazement and awe as Jan swallowed the potions in the tiny vial.

Harry had just looked at January with a mixture of pride and worry as the girl he was definitely falling in love with, bravely ventured into the unknown.

**AN: my exams are almost over!! Like my class 12 board exams !!! I have like, only one exam left and it's art theory so it'll be easy (Hopefully!!) but I've got a week left so I thought I'd just finish the final draft of this chapter. Oh and I'm writing after a long time so its probably not as great as it could have been, but it'll get better as I start writing regularly again.**

**Hope you like it and please review..**

**And I'm sure I don't deserve it but please take pity on me because these past few months have been sooo stressfull for me coz of these stupid exams. (btw my college admission depends on this). **

**So ya, thanx to all who are following this story!!!!**


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